Arcs and Architects
by INFJgamer
Summary: While the Archon has been defeated, theres still the Quarian arc, Ryder's mother and the Mysterious Benifactor to deal with. Part one of the End Game saga


**Arks and Architects**

Suvi reluctantly made her way onto the Tempest, sad that her three months of shore leave on Elaaden were over. Vorn had promised to keep an eye on her place while she was gone. It would be nice to see her friends again, but, she'd miss the peace and privacy of her home.

Kallo, Vetra, Jaal and Lexi were already on board, but they'd have to go to Eos and Meridian respectively to collect the rest of the team. Ryder wanted to finally introduce Scott to Suvi when they checked in at the Hyperion.

If truth be told, Suvi sometimes felt a little cheated. Ryder had Scott and now her mother, albeit in cryosleep. All of Suvi's family on the other hand were all six hundred year away and ago. While Suvi had to endure the terrifying experience of meeting her brother, Ryder would never know Suvi's family.

Kallo sensed that his friend was suffering. He walked over to her a gently placed her hand on her shoulder "Suvi, what's wrong?"

"Sorry Kallo, I was miles away. I'm supposed to be meeting Ryder's brother today. I'm a bit nervous." she did her best to hide her sadness.

Kallo liked to think of Suvi as his best friend. He was closer to her than most people, so he knew that there to this than she was letting on. He trawled through his brilliant memory looking for a better understanding of his friend's sorrow. Suvi was naturally an introvert, she found social situations with new people difficult at the best of times. She'd thumb her worry stone that she kept in her right pocket. Meeting the Pathfinder's brother would probably be stressful for her, but that didn't account for the sadness. Ryder was fairly adept at social situations even if she was ruled by her heart rather than her head. When she got nervous, she'd start tapping on things. But that was irrelevant, Ryder would never have to meet Suvi's family because… the pieces fell into place. Suvi was missing her family. Kallo couldn't alter the distance and time between the two. They were gone and nothing anyone said or did could change that. What he could do was remind her that she had a new family.

Without looking at her he began "This must be hard for you. The thought of meeting Scott must be daunting. The fact that you're family aren't here to share this must be painful for you."

He could hear Suvi swallow hard trying to fight back the tears as he continued "Just remember that you're not alone. You have Ryder. We all know how much you mean to each other. I remember how awkward she was when she first told you she liked you. Tripping over her words, you know I swore I could hear her heart pounding from where I was sat. The way she smiled when you told her the feeling was mutual. Several weeks later the two of you went for a tea break together and after that you couldn't stop smiling. There are also scandalous rumours that you and the Pathfinder engaged in unauthorised research in the tech lab, or at least that's what I heard from Doctor Aridanna."

Suvi remained quiet, but placed her hand on top of Kallo's and gave a squeeze as a sign of appreciation. "You have lots of people who care for you here. There's me. Your mind compliments my flying perfectly. You're my best friend. All of my happiest memories on this bridge are because of you. Spotting shapes in the constellations. You telling me about the time you met Jien Garson."

That gets the tiniest of chuckles from Suvi. She would never live that one down. Kallo had taken great delight in telling the whole crew the story. Apparently Liam had choked on his beer when Kallo regaled him with the tale. Pleased that he was steering Suvi to a better place, Kallo continued. "When you first joined us you cooking was well..."

Kallo tried to find a diplomatic word for dreadful, he couldn't. "But the Drack helped you stop seeing recipes as fixed chemical formulas, and more as suggestions. You started to cook by your senses, not by rote. When you perfected your chocolate cake, you gave me the first slice. It was light and delicious. Drack smiled, you could tell he was proud of you. He ate two slices, he would've had a third if Doctor T'Perro hadn't scolded him."

Suvi stood up and gave Kallo a huge hug. "Thank you Kallo. You really are the best friend I could ask for."

At first he was a little surprised, but then wrapped his arms around his friend. A brilliant idea came to Kallo, he led Suvi to his chair. "Take a seat."

Suvi had started reading flight manuals and using simulators since they'd settled Promedos and Kallo had given her a few lessons. "Take us out Doctor Anwar."

Suvi began to flip switches and took hold of the controls. Ryder stepped onto the bridge just as the Tempest took off, she stood awestruck as she watched her girlfriend piloting the ship. A calm befell Suvi as her mind focused on flying to Eos. As the Tempest approached the planet's orbit, Kallo took them helm and Suvi went back to her usual duties. It was only then that she realised the Pathfinder was on the bridge. "How long have you been here?"

"Long enough." Smiled Ryder.

The Promodros based crew quickly boarded the ship and they headed off to Meridian. Nerves and adrenaline kicked in turning Suvi's stomach in knots. Ryder picked up on it "Hey, everything okay?"

She bent down so she was level with Suvi in her chair "Need a hug?"

Suvi wasn't entirely sure what she needed. A stiff drink sounded pretty good, at least her sadness had abated thanks to Kallo. "Raincheck?"

Ryder nodded, making a mental note to spend some quality time with her girlfriend later. Beer and a bad movie perhaps. Like Suvi, she was feeling the strain of being back on the Tempest. She could feel her muscles tensing up the closer they got to Meridian. She couldn't decide what was making her more nervous, Suvi meeting her brother or Tann wanting to address the whole crew at a meeting on the Nexus.

As soon as they docked Ryder went to see Scott. She want to talk to him before she introduced him to Suvi. He gave her a big hug when he saw her "So I'm guessing this is the part where you tell me to be on my best behaviour? If you're introducing us, I'm guessing she's a pretty big deal to you."

Ryder could feel herself blush "Yeah. I- I really love her Scott. She's amazing..".

Ryder trailed off, it was her turn to feel cheated. She would have loved for her father to have met Suvi. She had no idea when or if her mother would be revived. Would she ever get the chance to tell her that she'd actually followed her advice and fallen in love, that she found someone she wanted to marry?

While the Ryder twins were by no means psychically connected, it didn't take a telepath to figure out some of what the eldest was thinking. Scott squeezed his sister's shoulder "I'm sure they'd think she was great too. Relax sis, I promise not to show you up too much."

Scott was true to his word. He genuinely got on with Suvi and limited himself to one embracing story about Sara. "So we were on Earth having our first holiday without our parents. We'd rented out a place in Australia with our cousins. Now Sara might be fearless in front of the Kett, but she's shit scared of spiders, and the ones in Australia are huge. One crawled up Sara's leg, she completely freaked out and ran into a set of patio doors. They were closed and Sara knocked herself out cold. She crashed into a plant pot and cut her shoulder open. She was too embarrassed to go to the hospital! Didn't want to explain that she'd been scared out of her mind by a spider."

Suvi ran her hand over Ryder's right shoulder "So that's how you got that scar!"

Ryder simultaneously blushed and winced at the memory, but the story served its purpose, Suvi and Scott were starting to bond. It was a shame that they didn't have longer together, but Tann and the Nexus were waiting.

It was quite the spectacle to see the Pathfinder and the whole crew of the Tempest walk through the Nexus making their way to Tann's office. "We have received word from the Quarian Pathfinder. There's a problem with the Ark. It was damaged during an attack from something they called a Reaper while trying to leave the Milky Way. While they managed to make the journey through dark space, they're concerned that they might have been followed. They are requesting heavy military support to be sent to their location in case this Reaper has found it's way to Andromeda. Ryder, it falls to you to organise a military response to this threat. Good Luck."

The crew walked in silence to the Tempest and made their way to the meeting area where Ryder told them everything that she knew about the Reapers and played them some of the audio logs that she had.

It was Cora who broke the silence after the last audio log had finished "What are we going to do Ryder?"

Every muscle in Ryder's back felt taught. It wasn't the weight of the world on her shoulders, but the fate of a galaxy. "I was thinking of attacking with the Remnant fleet."

The plan was met with approving nods, then Kallo piped up "I hope if that Reaper shows up it crashes straight into the Scourge."

A flash of inspiration hit Suvi "Ryder, Kallo you're both brilliant!"

She began furiously tapping at her datapad. "If we attack with a small fleet of ships, we could try and lure the Reaper into giving chase and lead it into the Scourge."

"And if that fails?" Sighed Cora.

"We get Ryder to set all of the Remnant Architects on it, along with the rest of the Remnant fleet." Grinned Drack.

"If we subdue the Architects again, I can reprogram them like I did with POC and Zap. Each one would need a controller. I'll take one and Drack can have one as he came up with the idea." Beamed Peebee.

"I totally want a shot at controlling one of those bad boys!" Enthused Liam.

"Count me in." Added Cora.

"I'm sure the Angara can lend some ships to the cause, well the battleships we acquired from the Kett." Added Jaal.

The plans seemed to satisfy everyone. "Okay people we've got a job to do. This is going to take a little organising. We'll need to round up the four Architects and get a fleet from Meridian. Jaal, you're in charge of liaisons with the Angara. I hope not to put your people in danger, but we need to have multiple backup plans, we can't afford to get this wrong. Kallo, take us to Kadara. We've got an Architect to catch. Dismissed."

Ryder made her way to her quarters with Suvi following behind her. "Sara, if that offer of a hug is still going, I'd like to take you up on it."

Ryder didn't answer but wrapped her arms around her and buried her head into Suvi's shoulder. It dawned on Suvi that maybe it was Ryder who really needed this hug now. "It's okay Sara, I've got you."

Though Ryder's shoulders started to relax Suvi could feel knotted muscle beneath the fabric of the her top. She removed her gloves and hitched up Ryder's top to expose her back. She gently palpated each knot before kneading it into submission. Ryder tightened her grip each time Suvi worked on a particularly painful one.

"Better?" Suvi enquired after the last knot had been dealt with.

Ryder let out an appreciative sigh before moving in for a kiss. "Thanks. With everything that's just happened I-"

Suvi pulled Ryder's top back down, took her hand and led her to the couch. "I once told you if you ever needed anything that I was here for you. That hasn't changed."

Ryder pondered how to articulate what was going on "Hard to know where to start. You know Newton's third law?"

Suvi nodded "Of course, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction."

Ryder exhaled slowly and began. "We left home, but we've started to settle Helius. I lost Dad, but I found you. We've defeated the Archon, but, you see where I'm going with this?"

Suvi nodded "You're worried about that we've got a Reaper headed our way. It's understandable. You really think that one made it through dark space."

Ryder nodded "Given our track record for bad luck, it wouldn't surprise me. Sometimes I hate being the Pathfinder."

Suvi knew that she couldn't make Ryder's problems go away, but she could take her mind off of them for a while. "Last time I checked you're not just the Pathfinder. You're a friend, a sister, a bad poker player, and I think you know what you are to me."

Suvi moved in for a long kiss, just incase Ryder did need reminding. She pulled away before she started something they couldn't finish. "I'm going to the bridge to run some simulations of the Scourge and see how we can use it in conjunction with the Remnant fleet. You know where I am if you need me."

Suvi gave Ryder a gentle kiss on the forehead before she left "I love you."

"I love you too." Ryder called after her.

The doors slip shut and Ryder was alone with her thoughts. She wandered over to her sock drawer and opened it. She grabbed the three cubes of tungsten carbide and the chunk of octahedrite. "You're coming to Kadara with me."

 **Rallying Point**

"Hey Ryder, what took you so long?" Enquired Peebee as Ryder joined them in the Kadara slums.

"Super secret Pathfinder stuff." Offered Ryder, technically she wasn't lying.

They jumped into the Nomad with Vetra and set off after the Architect. It didn't that long to track down the huge Remnant bot. A sustained barrage of firepower and biotics soon overpowered the machine. Peebee sprang into action reprogramming the Architect while excitedly babbling. "Okay, so far so good. It's gonna take a few hours for me to implement the new subroutines. I'm going to set the spawning function just to observer bots, seems as they're the only ones that can fight in zero g. I love that the Architects can spawn armies that we can control. Ryder can you send a shuttle to gather up the bots it's already spawned. I'll reprogram them to act as drones when I get a chance. We can use them as cannon fodder."

Vetra sprayed black paint on the Architect's head so that she would be able to tell it apart from the others. Ryder recalled the first time she ever battled an Architect. She was on Elaaden with Drack and Peebee. She couldn't decide who got more excited, Drack who thought it was a bit like chasing down a Thresher Maw, or Peebee who had squealed enthusiastically as the Architect spawned more bots in a bid to overcome them. Ryder hoped that the huge Remnant machines would be enough to stop the Reaper.

While Cora had originally planned to control an Architect, they had freed her up so they could make full use of her biotic shielding abilities. They needed every tactical advantage they could get and it seemed foolish not to utilise Cora's skills. The responsibility of controlling the Architect now fell to Vetra, along with the task of naming it. Peebee was _very_ insistent that they had names. Vetra had dubbed her one Drescilla. Originally that was the identity she was going to use on a night out with Peebee. However, since she'd helped to save the galaxy from the Kett, Vetra Nyx was a name that carried a lot of weight. Hell, they'd even named a gun after her!

Once Peebee finished reprogramming Drescilla, Vetra began to learn how to pilot her. They would have to wait until they were in space to test the weaponry, so once the basic maneuvers had been mastered the trio returned to the Tempest, with Drescilla in tow gracefully drifting alongside the ship.

Ryder had a four step ritual that she followed when she got back to the Tempest. Step one was getting out of her armour if she had any on. Step two was getting checked over by Lexi. Step three was to get caffeine and step four was to check in with Suvi. On this particular day, there was a change to the routine.

Ryder's super secret Pathfinder mission had been to see a Krogan craftsman in Kadara Port. The three blocks of tungsten carbide that had been living in Ryder's sock draw had finally been cut into rings. Ryder had managed to get a scan of Suvi's ring finer with her omnitool so she knew that the two rings destined for her would be the right size. Once the rings had been cut, she'd had each of them inlayed with a band of octahedrite with it's alien like Widmanstatten pattern crafted from the chunk that Ryder had found on Elaaden.

As soon as she got back onto the Tempest, she jogged straight towards her room to stash the newly crafted rings into her sock draw. Ryder was so engrossed in her task, she hadn't notice Lexi follow her into her room. "What are you up to Ryder?"

Ryder gave a startled yelp. "Shit Lexi! Way to give a Pathfinder a heart attack!"

Lexi rolled her eyes "Hardly, and you didn't answer my question. What are you up to?"

Ryder trusted Lexi implicitly and didn't want to lie to her. Over time the two had built up a strong mutual trust and respect for each other. Lexi had perfected the balance of friend and doctor with Ryder, an achievement she was quite proud of. The two genuinely sought out each other's advice and Lexi had been the first person to know about the developing romance between the Pathfinder and the science officer.

Ryder said nothing, but walked up to Lexi and opened her hand to reveal the rings. Lexi's jaw dropped as she marveled at them. A surge of excitement coursed through her as she realised what the rings signified, two wedding bands and an engagement ring. The Pathfinder was going to propose. "Ryder! They're stunning! She's going to love them. When are you going to ask her?"

"Soon, before we go after the Quarian Ark. I'm kinda nervous about asking though." Ryder confessed.

"Relax Ryder. In my personal and professional opinion, it'll be fine. I happen to know that she loves you a great deal." Lexi reassured her.

Lexi was fond of Suvi and her brilliant mind. At times she was even a little jealous of the scientist's ability to find balance. The way she could find harmony between faith and science. The way she could take a switch between being a crew member and a girlfriend. Perhaps the trait Lexi admired most was Suvi's authenticity. The unapologetic honesty and passion for what mattered to her; faith, science and Sara Ryder.

Lexi felt she could learn a lot from her. She had yet to find a happy medium between being a doctor and everything else life had to offer, but working on developing meaningful friendships had been a good starting point. "If you need to talk about any of this, you know where I am, speaking of which, stop by the med bay for your check up when you're ready."

When Ryder finally caught up with Suvi, she and Kallo were looking out of the window at the Architect that idled at the port side of the ship. "It's incredible. I've never seen an Architect this close before."

Ryder chuckled "You don't want to unless they're on our side. I've got to hand it to Drack, this was a brilliant idea. Kallo can we head to Elaaden, we'd better go catch his Architect."

Kallo nodded "Of course Pathfinder. Setting coordinates for Elaaden. Vetra, please keep Drescilla in dormant mode and the tractor beam will do the rest."

The Architects were controlled via each crew members SAM chip. Previously Drack had always refused the implant, but the lure of controlling the metallic monster was too much for him. Lexi had carried out the procedure in a state of mild shock, but it was heartening to see Drack embracing new technology in a bid to protect the galaxy. Drack had decided that he would name his Architect Kalros after the legendary Thresher Maw back on Tuchanka. The old bastard was starting to master the art of blending the old with the new.

Drack grinned as he, Peebee and Ryder took down the Architect for a second time. While Peebee went about reprogramming the massive Remnant bot, Drack had applied red paint to it's head.

"You fought well for a machine, but let's see what you can do when you fight like a Korgan!" He chuckled to himself.

Once they were back on the Tempest, Drack proudly showed off Kalros to the crew before heading off to the galley to cook up a celebratory meal. Peebee was hot at his heels salivating at the prospect of one of his legendary roasts.

Lexi insisted that Ryder and Peebee had twentyfour hours rest before going after another Architect. It would give Gil and Suvi a chance to get in depth scans of the Architects. They hoped the data might give them some tactical advantage against the Reaper.

Kallo trained the Architect pilots in evasive and attacking maneuvers. Once all the Architects had been acquired, he would teach them how to fly in various formations and let them practise their shooting. Data from the Quarian Ark implied the the Reaper had a front mounted wide beamed weapon. With this in mind he planned to show them how to maneuver themselves to access the undefended rear of the Reaper.

With everyone else busily making preparations, Ryder read through the data Suvi had gathered on the Scourge. It gave her a clear path of where to direct the Remnant fleets and the hoard of salvaged bots that Peebee had reprogrammed. Finally, Ryder caught up on some much needed sleep. She had no idea what time it was when Suvi finally came to bed. Ryder had entered into a vague level of consciousness and she could feel her girlfriend snuggled into her back with an arm draped over her. Even when she was sleeping Suvi still had her back.

All too soon it was a new day and time to capture another Architect. Ryder had no idea what Liam had wanted to call his Architect. According to Peebee all his ideas were stupid so she had taken it upon herself to call it Hippolyta after the queen of the Amazons. Hadley had kindly leant them seismic hammers to lure out the sand dwelling leviathan. Liam's stray bullets left little craters in the sand. Secretly Ryder wished they'd brought Drack or Vetra along, but it was Liam's Architect, it was only right that he helped to bring it down. It took a while but they finally managed to neutralise it, and Peebee began to work her technological magic on the fallen Remnant. Liam put a coat of blue paint on the Architect's head marking it as his.

Liam was a natural at controlling Hippolyta and began to execute some of the more complex manoeuvres that Kallo had taught him. Kallo's voice came over the comms channel "I'm glad someone was paying attention in class."

The Architect on Voeld was hateful to subdue. The bitter conditions had made everything that little bit harder. Peebee had lost her footing on the ice putting her directly in the path of the Architect's attack. Luckily Cora's biotic shield had saved Peebee from major harm whilst Ryder got it's attention by emptying a round of shotgun ammunition into one of it's legs. Once they'd overcome it, Peebee excited reprogrammed it and began to play. If it hadn't been so brutally cold she would have stayed there all night piloting it.

Peebee named it RAM short for Reaper annihilating machine. RAM's head was painted a hue of purple similar to the shade of Peebee's jacket. Though they'd had to paint it on Meridian as the paint would have frozen solid in the tin on Voeld. Scott Ryder watched them painting it with fascination when a brilliant idea stuck him "Hey Sara, do you think we could reactivate the Architect you took down here? We could use it as a last line of defence to protect Meridian."

Ryder hugged her brother "Scott you're a genius!"

With a little help from Peebee and Ryder, Scott claimed the Meridian Architect for himself. He named it Slinky, the name he'd have given to a pet snake if only his mother had let him have one. Just like he suggested it would stand guard on Meridian. Ryder hoped that it would never have to be pressed into service.

Kallo gave Scott a crash course on piloting before taking him and the other Architect pilots to the shooting range that Kandros had organised. A selection of battered ships were gathered and used at target practise. The Architects' weapons made short work of them. Unsurprisingly Vetra and Drack were the best shots.

All of the Architects were ready. Jaal had worked with the Angara to organise a fleet of stolen Kett ships to help provide reinforcements. All of the pieces were falling into place. It was time to go after the Quarian Ark. There was just one thing left for Ryder to do before she gave the order to move out.

Ryder paced her quarters as her nerves kicked in. How many times had she imagined this moment, practised saying the words? She'd planned to make some elaborate speech before dropping to one knee and saying "Doctor Suvi Anwar will you marry me?"

Theory and reality were two very different things. Her mouth was dry and her heart was thundering in her chest. The last time she'd felt like this, she was squaring off against the Archon. Sensing that something was troubling her girlfriend, Suvi asked if everything was okay.

"Yeah I just erm, I wanted to uh…" flustered Ryder.

Oh God, it was like that time at the bridge all over again. In the back of her mind Ryder imagined Kallo looking on saying "Just ask already!"

Ryder to a deep breath and began "Suvi you know how you said I was your favourite thing that you'd discovered in Helius?"

"Yes." Suvi answered wondering what was going on.

Ryder looked down at her shoes "Well you're mine. You're the best thing that's happened to me. Whatever Helius has thrown at me, you've helped me get through it. We fought the Kett, found Meridian and now we're preparing to fight a Reaper. Through all of this you've made sure I never had to face anything on my own and uh…"

Suvi's hand lifted Ryder's face to meet her gaze "Sara you never have to face anything on your own ever again."

Suvi wrapped her arms around Ryder's neck and kissed her. It was long, slow and tender but left both of them trying to catch their breath. Suvi broke the kiss but kept her embrace intact. She smiled that secret smile that was just for Ryder. The one that made her heart skip a beat, the one that always made her smile back. It was the same smile that Suvi had given her before she went to fight the Archon. It made her believe she could do anything.

Suddenly everything was so very simple. Three words rolled off Ryder's tongue "Marry me Suvi."

 **Prime Targets**

The Primus eyed the Quarian Ark with ill intention. The Milky Way menace kept coming, but it was no matter, soon they would all be as one through Exhalation. She had ordered a large fleet to accompany her on the assault, just in case the wretched Pathfinder should show up. It was a shame that the human was so resistant to the idea of Exhalation, she would have made an excellent addition to the Kett ranks. It would take a day for the Kett fleet to reach the Primus's location. Much of the fleet had been damaged after the attack on what they thought was Meridian. More had been lost since during the assault on the true Meridian and subsequent skirmishes with both the Initiative and the Angara.

The Primus pondered what was going on inside the Ark. Why was it just staying here? Why didn't it attempt to rejoin the others? They'd tried boarding the Ark, but it's occupants had put up fierce resistance. None of the eight squads that had been sent over had been heard from since. The ninth squad was enroute to the Ark, hopefully they would have more luck. Surely the Ark would be running out of fighters by now?

Her thoughts were interrupted by one of her crew informing her that long range scanners were picking up two energy readings traveling through dark space, both from the Milky Way. Perhaps this was why the Ark was idling, waiting for reinforcements. The Primus hurriedly summoned further ships, whatever was coming, it would know the glory of Exaltation or the permanence of destruction. By the time that it had arrived, it would face the power of almost the entire Kett fleet left in Andromeda. The Archon's demise meant that there was a vacancy in the Kett hierarchy and the Primus meant to fill it. If she could succeed where the Achon had failed, perhaps she might be elevated to a position more worthy of her skill.

The Quarian Pathfinder viewed the long range scans with utter dread. Ten thousand lives were in her hands and she was powerless to protect them from the Reaper. The second signal was troubling too. The Scourge was giving off too much interference from them to clearly identify what kind of vessel it was. If it was traveling with the Reaper, the chances were that it was a foe rather than a friend. "Signal the Initiative, we need to let them know we've got company."

She turned and regarded the strange human stood on the bridge. This was the bodyguard of a Quarian businessman who called himself Zaal Vas Keelah Si'yah (new galaxy, new name). The Pathfinder couldn't stand the sight of the bosh'tet, something about him screamed danger, but his human bodyguard was the only reason the every boarding attempt the Kett had made had failed. "There's another boarding party incoming. Would you mind?"

The human didn't speak, but dutifully grabbed the nearby shotgun and headed off in the direction of the docking bay.

Liam paced impatiently "Shouldn't the Pathfinder have given the order for us to rendezvous with the Quarian Ark by now? I'm going to find her, see what's taking so long."

Liam didn't get very far. A strange weightless feeling overcame him, he was floating, coated in the telltale blue glow of biotic power. Peebee was still on the bridge, Cora was with Sarissa in the engine room. The two would act as living shield generators to protect the Tempest during the assault. The Pathfinder was in her quarters. That left one person with biotic capabilities, "Lexi, what gives? You're not still pissed off with me about that Angaran fruit thing are you?"

Lexi eyed him coolly "A little, but that's not the reason I'm doing this. Lets just say it's for your own good."

Dr Lexi T'Perro knew that the Pathfinder had planned to propose to her girlfriend before they set off for the Ark. The two were in Ryder's quarters right now and she wasn't about to let anyone interrupt this moment. Ryder had finally said the words "Marry me Suvi."

It took a moment for Suvi to process exactly what Ryder had just said. She looked at her in disbelief. Suvi noticed her girlfriend fumble for something in her pocket, Ryder produced a ring. Everything clicked into place. She wondered if this was why Ryder had been so overprotective of her sock draw.

"Oh my goodness Sara!" She pulled Ryder in for a kiss.

"Is that a yes?" Asked Ryder grinning.

"Yes! Yes of course I will." Replied Suvi wiping away a rogue tear.

She took off her left glove and offered Ryder her hand. Ryder placed the ring on her finger and was rewarded by more kisses. Suvi would have liked to stay there forever kissing Ryder and basking in the joy of the moment. The thought of dragging her off to bed had crossed her mind, but deep down, she knew that all celebrations would have to wait. There was a small matter of a galaxy that needed saving. Suvi was used to having to switch from girlfriend to crew member, but this was the first time that she'd had to do it as a fiance. "Sara, incredible doesn't even begin to cover this. What I want right now is to stay here with you and savory every moment of this. But we both know there's an Ark to save and a Reaper to stop."

Before Ryder could respond, SAM cut in "Pathfinder there's an urgent message from the Quarian Ark."

Ryder snatched another kiss before replying "Okay SAM, gather the crew."

Suvi reluctantly put her glove back on. Her engagement ring was exquisite, she resented having to hide it's beauty and significance away under her uniform. She pulled Ryder in for one last kiss "When this is over, I promise we will celebrate this properly. I love you Sara."

Ryder hugged her tightly "I love you too."

The doors of the Pathfinder's quarters opened to reveal the smiling couple. Lexi heaved a sigh of relief and released Liam from him suspended prison. He hit the deck with a graceless thump and a "Shit that hurt!"

Lexi niether noticed or cared. She ran up to the pair, hugged them both and congratulated them as they made their way to the meeting.

An erie silence befell the crew as they listened to the Quarian Pathfinder's message. "Initiative this is the Quarian Ark Keelah Si'yah. Our long range scans confirm two vessels making their way to our location as well as a large number of Kett ships in the vicinity. We've intercepted a transmission that suggests more Kett are incoming. We have successfully neutralised all efforts to board the Ark. The Kett ships that we have captured have been modified into a minefield. While we don't expect it to stop the Reaper, we hope it will slow it down. We advise strongly against you coming to our aid as it is likely to result in your destruction, either at the hands of the Kett fleet or the Reaper. I can only hope that once the Reapers destroy us, they will return to the Milky Way. On behalf of the Quarians, Elcor, Drell, Volus and Hanar of Andromeda goodbye and good luck. Keelah Se'lai."

"No." It was almost a whisper.

Then Ryder's voice became stronger "No, this is not how it ends! They are the first of their kind here in Andromeda. There is no way in hell I'm going to let them be the last! We only have one chance to get this right. One chance to save this galaxy and every living thing in it. This isn't for the Initiative, the Ark or even the Angara. This is for Andromeda."

Ryder eyed her crew. "We all had reasons for coming here, now we've all got reasons to stay and fight for what we've found. We're fighting for our families. The ones we bought with us, the ones we've yet to meet. The generations yet to come." She looked at Vetra, Gil and Drack as she said it.

"We're fighting for our homes, we went through hell to get them and there's no way we're giving them up without a fight." That was aimed at Cora, Liam and Kallo.

"We're fighting for the new beginnings that have only just started, be that the pursuit of knowledge, friendship or just a better understanding of ourselves and a chance to grow." She looked at Lexi, Jaal and Peebee.

Finally her eyes came to rest on Suvi, colleague, friend, and now her fiance. "We're fighting because we've promised to build a future together and nothing's going to stop us."

Ryder addressed her whole crew "I came to Andromeda to help my father get a fresh start. To give him the opportunity to prove SAM's worth and demonstrate the contribution that an AI could make. My father's death meant that I had needed to find my own reason for being here. The reason became a chance to change things for the better. As a crew we've done that and in doing so you became my family. I learnt to care for each of you. To trust you and rely on you. I have faith in each and every one of you to pull this off. Now let's go and save the galaxy. Again."

The crew rapidly dispersed through the ship assuming their action stations. Cora and Sarissa based themselves in the cargo hold ready to provide backup shields. Gil and Jaal stood in engineering determined to keep the Tempest flying, no matter what. Lexi went to the med bay hoping her skills wouldn't be needed today. Kallo and Suvi took their seats at the bridge, joined by Liam, Drack, Peebee and Vetra who would each be piloting an Architect.

Since the battle for Meridian, Peebee, Gil and Suvi had collaborated to build a mobile Remnant interface. It sat on the bridge just in front of the star map. It allowed Ryder to access Remnant tech and control it from the Tempest. She placed her hand on the device and the hoard of Remnant bots that Peebee had reprogrammed activated.

Some of the Remnant ships surrounding Meridian started firing up their engines and fell into formation. In front of them was the Angaran fleet, all of the stolen battleships had been painted red to distinguish them from the Kett fleet. The Tempest, flanked either side by Architects led the mix and match Andromedan Armada.

The Primus felt certain of a victory. She had the whole Kett fleet at her disposal. The vessels about to arrive would have two choices; comply or die. Every ship had its shields up and its weapons primed. The fleet had positioned themselves in front of the Ark to prevent the other Milky Way ships from being able to reach and rescue it. If they wanted the Ark, they'd have to fight for it.

So far, the Milky Way ships had little or nothing in the way of weaponry, so the Primus expected that any conflict would be brief and ultimately go in favour of the Kett. The first of the two ships exited dark space. It was unlike anything the Primus had seen before. It resembled a hideous metallic beast with a singular glowing red eye. The eye seemed to blink, and in doing so, the nearby Kett ships were destroyed. Another blink and next row of ships were hit.

"Open fire!" Screamed the Primus.

A volley of Kett fire flew towards the Reaper, a few hit their target doing some minor damage to it. The Primus commanded all of her ships to launch a frontal assault on the their new enemy. The Kett fleet was so engrossed in destroying the Milky Way invader they didn't notice the arrival of the Tempest and it's spaceborne entourage.

Ryder's jaw dropped as she saw what was unfolding. The Kett and the Reaper were trying to wipe each other from the face of the galaxy. Quickly she opened a comms channel to the Quarian Ark. "Captain, get the Ark out of there. It looks like the Reaper and the Kett are going to destroy each other. I don't want you caught in the crossfire. I'll send some of the Angara and a couple of Remnant ships to escort you there safely."

The comm channel crackled "Message received. Falling back to the Nexus. Remember there's still another vessel coming through any moment now. Good luck Pathfinder. Keelah Si'yah out."

The Quarian Pathfinder was eternally gratefully to be leaving the battle zone. But, as she regarded a smirking Zaal Vas Keelah Si'yah, she wondered if something just as dangerous was lurking aboard the ship.

A huge barrage of weapon fire hit the Reaper, dealing some damage to the lower parts of it. The Reaper returned fire gradually reducing in number of Kett ships attacking it. When it came to the Kett fighting the Reaper, Ryder felt that she was stuck between a rock and a hard place. She had no love for either, they both posed a huge threat to life in Andromeda. However the Kett seemed like the lesser of two evils. Ryder hailed the Primus. "It's vulnerable at the back!"

The voice of the Primus came over the comms channel. "You had your chance to have an alliance with me. You rejected it. This, this thing will fall and you will be…"

The comms channel signal cut off abruptly. Looking out of the viewing port, the crew could see that the Primus's ship had taken a direct hit. The Reaper was steadily thinning out the Kett opposition. Ryder prepared to engage the gigantic enemy. Using the Remnant interface she sent twenty bots towards the Reaper in a scattered formation. She hoped that they would provide a distraction, giving the Architects a chance to get into position. "Okay everyone, just like we practised. Kallo take us in."

 **Breaking points**

As the last Ark to leave the Milky Way, the Keelah Si'yah had come with valuable intel on what a Reaper truly was and what they were capable of. Peebee had pored over the data and drawn inspiration from it. Each Architect now had its own integrated omni tool for scanning. With a little help from Drack, Jaal and Gil, they'd managed to increase the weapons range and destructive capacities. No one wanted to get too close to the Reaper for fear of Indoctrination. The remote control Remnant bots would allow them to fight up close without risk of falling under the Reaper's command. Kallo kept the ship at a safe distance, far from the Reaper's influence. The remaining Angaran ships fell in behind.

The first of the two Architects, piloted by Peebee and Liam made their way towards the Reaper. They steered clear of the battle zone making a slow arc towards their target. Cora and Sarrissa were ready to generate a shield if the Tempest needed to get any closer to the conflict that lay ahead of them. Ryder intended to dispatch any troublesome Kett using her Remnant army of ships and observer bots. Liam and Peebee's mission was to destroy the Reaper's thrusters so that it could neither advance nor retreat. Ryder had given them specific orders not to engage anything other than the Reaper, but Liam could feel his trigger finger starting to itch.

Liam saw a large Kett ship trying to retreat from the battle, it shot down one of Ryder's bots that was lurking nearby. " _What's the harm?"_ he thought to himself and opened fire on the ship.

The harm it transpired was quite significant. Several Kett ships turned their attention to Liam's Architect instead of helpfully shooting at the Reaper. "What the fuck Liam!" Roared the Pathfinder.

"I made a judgment call Pathfinder. I'm prepared to face the consequences once this is over." Liam went on the defensive.

Ryder used the bots to take out the engines of the Kett ships, giving Liam a chance to get his Architect out of their weapons range. "Stand down Kosta. I can't let you jeopardise the mission again. There's too much at stake"

"With all due respect Pathfinder, you need me to pilot my Architect." He countered.

Suvi had been a woman of faith since her teens. Her belief in something greater than herself had helped her keep perspective when life threatened to overwhelm her. She had learnt that faith could be transformative thing, that it could mould itself to meet her needs. It mostly served as an anchor that grounded her, reminding her that her worth was no more or less than anyone else's. It could be her armour in times of adversity, its promise of hope cushioning against impact of life's hardships. It was a rarity that Suvi used faith as a weapon, but right now it seemed like there was no other way. Her knowledge, conviction and belief gave her the courage to speak up. "I'll do it. I've been learning to pilot the Tempest, so I'm pretty sure that I can handle an Architect. I might not be a soldier, but I've got as much reason to fight as anyone else."

Ryder nodded "SAM transfer control of Liam's Architect to Suvi. Liam leave the bridge, I'll deal with you later."

Liam skulked off of the bridge, frustrated and rather humiliated that he'd been benched and replaced by Ryder's science officer girlfriend. Suvi returned her Architect to it's original course, matching Peebee's speed so that they would converge upon the Reaper at the same time. The two came into position and began to fire at the Reaper's propulsion system. Suvi wasn't as good a shot as Liam so it took her a little longer to take out the thrusters. With the Reaper crippled, the next two Architects began their approach, each flanked by a small team of observer bots.

The Reaper realised that it was in trouble and began firing haphazardly at it's surroundings. It hit one of the mine ships left behind by the Quarian Ark. The ship detonated sending out a shockwave that set off the other mine ships. The combined force of the detonations smashed against the body of the Sovereign class Reaper like a tidal wave of concussive energy, dealing massive damage ripping it in two. The crew couldn't help but cheer. The Reaper's hideous glowing red eye seemed to be dimming. Ryder made a mental note to personally thank whoever had come up with the idea to create the minefield.

Vetra and Drack's Architects closed in on the Reaper and began to fire, while Suvi and Peebee continued to shoot at the rear. The surface of the Reaper was now pitted with weapons fire from the unrelenting barrage of both the Architects and the few remaining Kett ships. With each onslaught the eye grew dimmer until finally it went out all together. The Reaper was dead.

The bridge erupted into loud cheering. In engineering Jaal and Gil hugged each other. While things were still a little icy between Cora and Sarissa, the shared experience of battle would help heal some of the rift between them.

Lexi was patching up Liam, who'd decided to take out his frustration and anger on a bulkhead. The bulkhead had won. Liam's knuckles were a bloody mess and he'd completely off ended his right fifth metacarpal. She cleaned and treated his wound then reset his broken finger. She'd given him some analgesia and a mild sedative. They were currently in a battle zone she needed to neutralise the threat Liam's unchecked emotions might pose to the mission, there was still the matter of the other incoming ship to deal with.

On the bridge everyone had regrouped. The few surviving Kett ships had fled the battle. The Architects had fallen back to the Tempest while the Remnant bots prepared to greet whatever came through. They waited with bated breath.

The ship came through dark space, scanners identified it as a Geth dreadnaught. Ryder issued her order "Hold your fire. We don't know if they're hostile. We've destroyed the Reaper, so they won't be under its influence. Suvi can we open a comms channel to them?"

Suvi patched a connection and nodded at Ryder. "You're good to go Pathfinder."

"Geth Dreadnought, this is Sara Ryder of the Initiative ship the Tempest. Are you reading me?"

The Geth ship answered back "Yes. Thank you for freeing us from the control of the Reaper. Our scanners indicate we are in the Andromeda galaxy. Can you confirm?"

A lengthy conversation ensued. They were strangers in a strange land, lost and far from home. Ryder asked them if they'd allow SAM to scan them to check they were fully free of Indoctrination. They consented. Ryder, Peebee and Drack came aboard the Dreadnought to meet the Geth and discuss their future in Andromeda. So far everything was going well. It would take a while for the Geth to full gain the Initiative's full trust but this was a huge step in the right direction.

When Ryder finally got back to the Tempest she felt elated. The Reaper had been destroyed, the Kett fleet had been all but obliterated and the woman she loved had said yes! Today had been a good day for Sara Ryder. There was one exception, Ryder planned to deal with him when they got back to the Nexus. But that was tomorrow's problem, tonight the only thing that mattered was Suvi.

The science officer was feeling very pleased with herself. This was the first time she'd taken part in an actual battle. She'd previously shied away from such things. She thought back to one of her first meetings with Ryder. The Pathfinder asked her if she be joining them on missions she'd replied " _Oh that's funny. Me. Out there. With the guns and the danger and everything._ " It felt like a lifetime ago that she'd said those words. In reality it had been just under two years. She smiled at the memory as she poured two glasses of white wine. Ryder walked in smiling. "Expecting company Doctor Anwar?"

"Yes actually. I'm waiting for my fiancé to get her arse over here so we can toast our engagement. That and tell me how you came by this ring. Thank you by the way. It's beautiful." Suvi gestured for Ryder to join her on the couch.

Ryder sat next to her and picked up a glass "To us."

The glasses clinked and they both took a hefty swig. Ryder told Suvi the story of the engagement ring in between sips of wine. She told her how she'd found the octahedrite on Elaaden. How it had been crafted into a ring by a Krogan on Kadara. Once the tale drew to a close Suvi pulled Ryder in for a kiss "You really _are_ adorable."

The kisses gained momentum as both of them felt a familiar urge kick in. The urges would have to wait they were both physically and mentally far too drained to do anything more about it. Ryder began to gently stroke the back of Suvi's head, making her sigh and snuggle contently into her shoulder. She drowsily muttered "Keep doing that and you're going to have to carry me to bed."

Ryder eased off knowing that Suvi would indeed fall asleep, she'd found that out back on Elaaden. It'd been a lazy Sunday afternoon, and Ryder had been subjecting Suvi to a marathon of the Blasto movies that she loved so much. Ryder had meant for the physical gesture of stroking Suvi's head to be relaxing, in practise, it was more like anesthetic. Suvi had drifted off to sleep missing the last (and arguably the best) twenty minutes of the second film. She helped Suvi to her feet and the two headed off to bed. Tomorrow was going to be a big day for everyone.

Morning came far too quickly and with it a flurry of meetings on the Nexus. Tann voiced his concerns about the arrival of the Geth. Luckily the Quarians had helped Ryder out saying that if the could let go of the past, so could everyone else. As small contingent of Geth were preparing to go to Habitat 7, or Ryder 1 as it was now called to help with the terraforming efforts there.

There had also been the small matter of Liam Kosta. Truth be told, this wasn't the first time that he'd let Ryder down. The Pathfinder had asked that he be transferred to Eos for the foreseeable future. Maybe Augie would be able to talk some sense into him.

As the last meeting adjourned Ryder sought out the Quarian Pathfinder. She wanted to thank the mastermind behind the minefield. "I need to talk to you about that. I'll meet you on your ship tomorrow there are too many prying ears here."

The response left Ryder feeling more that a little uneasy. The Pathfinder had sounded on edge. Clearly there was more going on here than she knew.

The tech lab of the Nexus lay in darkness, all of its scientists were meeting with their new colleagues who'd just arrived on the Quarian Ark. It was a perfect opportunity for Ben Lester to break in. His objectives were simple, get in, get the DNA samples of the Tempest crew, and drop them off at the designated area. In return, all of his debts on Kadara would disappear. He'd been provided with a modified omni tool for the job, one scan and the lab door opened. Once inside, the scanner gave of helpful beeps as he got closer to the samples. He grabbed them and quickly made his way to the drop off point in the hydroponics bay. Once he made the deposit he received a message letting him know that his debts on Kadara were erased.

Zaal Vas Keelah Si'yah waited until Lester had gone before emerging from the shadows with his bodyguard in tow. "Excellent. Maybe the bio devo team will make your siblings some new friends."

The bodyguard growered, biotic energy rose off of their body like stream. Zaal pressed his omni tool and a substantial electric charge corsed through his bodyguard via a shock collar dropping them to the floor. He rammed a needle into the pacified biotic's neck extracting spinal fluid. "Maybe I'll get them to make me a new you. Might get them to make a more subservient version this time."

Zaal was lying of course, it would take ages for a clone of his tank bred bodyguard to reach maturity. Then there would be the small matter of training it. Much as he might want to kill it, he was stuck with the wretched thing. While the bodyguard had proved very usefully at repelling the Kett invaders on the Ark, it had caught the attention of the Quarian Pathfinder. Zaal knew that somewhere questions were being asked. Questions that he really didn't want to answer. "Get out of my sight. Remember, you talk to anyone, they're as good as dead."

The crew of the Tempest piled into the Vortex with one notable exception Liam Kosta. Ryder pushed him from her thoughts. There was much for her and he team to celebrate. The Reaper had been destroyed, the Quarian Ark was safely docked in the Nexus and new alliances were being formed with the Geth. Ryder and Suvi had agreed to keep their engagement under wraps for now, only Lexi knew and they trusted her to keep their secret.

Lexi was learning to let go a little, to be more present in the moment as opposed to studying it. She leisurely sipped at her glass of Akantha while Drack regaled her with one of his many war stories. It was hard to hear him over the excited chatter of the patrons and the steady thump of the music. Lexi began to feel strange. She felt hot, sweaty and achy as though she been hit by a flu virus. She wanted to get out of the bar, but her legs wouldn't obey her. As her body slumped back into her seat, her mind was dragged down a twisting black rabbit hole.

 **Cloak and dagger**

It took a while for anyone to notice that Lexi was unconscious. Except unconscious wasn't the right word. Lexi was very much awake, just not in her own head.

While Asari melds were usually perceived as being part and parcel of sex, it served other purposes. It was a way of sharing memories and information. It was also a way to say goodbye. The first person Lexi T'Perro had melded with was her mother, it was to say farewell before she went off to study medicine. She'd felt her mother's pride and love wrap around her like a soft warm blanket. In the dark days shortly after her parents death, she sought out those precious memories and feelings to her get her through her grief.

Admittedly Lexi could count the people she'd melded with on one hand, but she knew when someone was trying to get into her head. It felt a little clumsy, as though the Asari that had initiated it was doing it for the first time.

The blackness faded away. She was weightless, floating in a pale blue light. There was a noise in the background, a cocktail of white noise and static. It was a bit like trying to tune into a distant comms channel. The noise slowly evolved into sounds. Lexi thought she could hear "er" and "tor." Doctor she wondered, was someone trying to reach out to her because they needed a medic? Slowly the sounds became clearer until they formed a message. It looped in her head like an invasive morse code. The same two words over and over; Danger! Benefactor!

Lexi wanted to ask what that meant, but before she could she felt herself floating upwards. It was as though she were surfacing from water having dived in. As she broke the surface of the water she woke up, surrounded by concerned faces. She was in the medical bay of the Assari Ark. A doctor scanned her with an omnitool "Hello Doctor T'Perro. Welcome back. You gave us quite a scare. Have you any idea what happened to you?"

Lexi had a pretty good idea, someone had forced her into a meld because they wanted to warn her about something. She didn't feel she could tell the Doctor that though. She lied saying that she couldn't clearly remember and wondered if the episode was caused by a combination of alcohol, stress and fatigue. It seemed to satisfy the Doctor, but Ryder didn't buy it. The Pathfinder and Suvi escorted her back to the Tempest. Lexi grabbed a quick shower before heading into Ryder's quarters, she needed to rinse away the cold sweat that still clung to her. She dressed in her pajamas which were far more modest that the medical gown she'd woken up in. Both Suvi and Ryder had decanted themselves into their Initiative issue pyjamas too, marl grey bottoms with a blue and grey short sleeved top that bore the Initiative logo.

Lexi told them everything she could about the strange meld and the message that it carried. She watched the colour drain from their faces. "So you've heard of this Benefactor before then?"

The two nodded. Ryder explained how SAM's encrypted memories had led her to discover Jien Garson had been murdered and explained that both Garson and her father had been a little suspicious of the Benefactor's true motives. Suvi went on to tell Lexi about her dealings with Cerberus, they wondered if the two organisations were one and the same.

Lexi began to formulate a plan "We need to know who it was that sent me that message. SAM can you compile a list of all the Asari that were in Vortex during that time?"

"There were seven Assari in the bar at the time including yourself, the bartender Anan T'Mari and Peebee." came the reply.

"Well I know it wasn't me. T'Mari and Peebee don't sound anything like the voice that I heard, so that narrows it down to four. I'll catch up with them tomorrow, and find out which one is our informant. I'll keep you posted." Lexi said making her way to the door.

Ryder slumped onto the sofa. "Remember what I was saying about Newton's third law? We dealt with the Reaper, now the Benefactor crops up again."

Suvi hated seeing Sara so despondent, she decided to remedy it. "Personally, I prefer a more practical approach to Newton's third law."

With that she eased Ryder into a supine position on the couch and climbed on top of her, placing her leg between Ryder's as she did so. The subsequent friction made Ryder push herself against Suvi's thigh. They'd both been needing this for a while. The momentum built as Suvi kissed Sara's neck, occasionally grazing the soft flesh with her teeth. Sara quickly pulled her top off not wanting it to hinder the freedom of Suvi's kisses. Suvi's hand moved to where her leg had been, pushing down the waistband of Sara's pyjama bottoms. She locked eyes with Sara, quickly checking in that this was okay. Sara answered her with an urgent kiss that spoke of a need for stimulus, for a release. Suvi's pushed down the unwanted fabric and her hand connected with Sara, her fingers making a steady circular pattern. _For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction_. For every time the universe knocked Sara down, Suvi picked her back up again. For every sadness, every doubt and every hurt, there was Suvi with love, faith, hope and unyielding passion. Sara came undone, cheerfully drowning in the sensory tidal wave that swept over her. Suvi held her and administered tender kisses as Sara drifted through the happy haze of oxytocin back to normality. "Whatever did I do to deserve you Suvi?"

Suvi replied truthfully "Leaps of faith, starting with the one that brought you to Andromeda."

Sara let her hands drift up Suvi's top pulling it off over her head. In between kissing the newly exposed flesh she asked "What was the second?"

Suvi grinned "The way you smiled at me when you said you were good with guns and danger. I didn't realise that you were flirting with me at the time, but you were, weren't you?"

Sara roller herself on top of Suvi and positioned herself between her legs "Clearly I was far too subtle. I think I can guess the third."

Suvi smirked "If you're thinking it was when you told me you thought I was cute, you're wrong. That was the fourth. I don't get me wrong seeing you blushing and stumbling over your words was adorable, I hadn't seen that side of you before. The doubt, the insecurities. It made you more human, more accessible."

Sara hid her blush by kissing Suvi's stomach. Knowing where this was headed, Suvi started to push down the waistband of her pyjama bottoms, Sara took over pulling them off completely. "So what was the third?"

It was hard to think clearly as Sara's kisses fell upon her thighs "When you told me you believed in a higher power. That like me you saw there was a harmony between faith and science. I realised that there was a compatibility between us, that's when I let myself start to fall for you."

"What was the fifth?" Asked Sara letting her kisses fall so close yet so far off the mark.

"It happened here. When you comforted me. When you told me chasing those threads had lead me to you and then you kissed me." The last word died on Suvi's lips as Sara's tongue finally gave her the contact she craved.

There were no words now, no thinking. Suvi gladly surrendered her faculties in favour of the all consuming ecstasy that Sara was eliciting from her. Suvi's climax was loud, muchly needed and richly deserved. Sara could be such a bloody tease sometimes. If her cognitive function were up to it, she'd have made a mental note to pay her back, but all she could do was lay there and smile as Sara held her tightly and kissed her gently.

Zaal should have been a happy man. Last nights mission had been a total success. The DNA of the Tempest crew, along with that of his bodyguard were on route to the Lab. Consequently, his account was swollen with more credits that he could spend. But there was a small problem. The Pathfinder of the Keelah Si'yah. The woman had been suspicious of him from the moment he'd been defrosted. He couldn't exactly blame her. It was a little odd that a businessman and his human bodyguard were among some of the first people to have been awoken on the Ark.

When the Kett started attacking, Zaal had begrudgingly donated his bodyguard to the cause. The bodyguard had been a gift from his employers. The company specialised in advanced biological development. They made bespoke humans for those with deep pockets and shallow morals. Their creations tended to fall under one of three categories soldiers, servants and sex workers. His bodyguard was part of their latest soldier range; the ultrabiotic. An ultrabiotic was a tank bred human with biotic abilities far beyond what had previously been thought possible. An ultrabiotic's shields could withstand a tactical artillery strike, while their offensive skills allowed them to toss their targets around like rag dolls. Zaal had witnessed this first hand as the Kett made horrid cracking and popping noises as their bodies were warped in a way that Zaal might crush paper. In addition to this each ultrabiotic had received a decade of intensive military training. They were proficient in firearms, explosives and battlefield tactics.

While Zaal's bodyguard had kept the Ark safe, it had also drawn a lot of attention. Questions started to be asked by the Pathfinder. The bodyguard had no loyalty to Zaal. It was kept in check by a shock collar and the threat of killing off it's siblings. They weren't siblings in the conventional sense of the word, they were made from the same batch of DNA but with different markers being accentuated. One was engineered for more defensive biotics, the other was engineered with a focus on offensive biotics. The two were kept on ice at the Lab, waiting for a buyer, until then, they served as leverage. The shock collar delivered high voltage current to the bodyguard. In addition it kept a thin needle embedded in its prisoners flesh at all times. If the bodyguard tried to removed the collar, a lethal engineered disease would be administered via the needle. The only cure for the disease was locked away safe in the company's lab. No matter how much the bodyguard hated it, they had to serve Zaal. Begrudgingly the two climbed aboard the shuttle that would take them far from the Nexus and the unwelcome attention of the Pathfinder.

Lexi had felt hopeful that tracking down her informant would be a simple task. If truth be told, she found the idea of playing detective rather exciting. All she had to do was speak to the four Asari who'd been in the bar. A simple hello was all it would take to identify them. The first two had been quick and painless, she'd feigned having a broken omnitool and asked them for the time. Neither sounded like the voice she'd heard. The third was easy enough Lexi had followed her to the armour store where she heard her ask for a new helmet. The accent was completely wrong. By process of elimination, the fourth Asari was her informant. She followed her through the corridor that led to the tram. Once they were alone, Lexi made her move "Hello."

The Asari maiden said nothing but pulled the doctor in for a kiss "Hello yourself."

Lexi flushed "I uh, I should go."

She shot out of the tram as quickly as she could with the Asari calling after her "Was it something I said?"

It wasn't what she'd said, but how she'd said it, the voice was wrong, too high pitch. If none of the Asari in the bar had been her informant, then who was? "SAM I need you to expand the search radius. I need to know the identity of every Assari that was near Vortex last night at the time I melded."

Luckily there was only one. Sula V'Lashi a seven hundred year old former Omega mercenary. She'd done work for none other that Aria T'Loak prior to coming to Helius. She now worked as a hired gun for merchants. It made sense that her informant would have a shady past, how else would she know about the Benefactor? SAM deducted that her last job was escorting a merchant to Kadara. Ryder postponed her meeting with the Quarian Pathfinder to lead the mission.

The Nomad closed in on the merchant's last known location. Vetra drove as she knew Kadara better than anyone, it was her home away from the Tempest after all. Vetra sighed as she saw plumes of smoke in the air "Get ready for a fire fight."

Ryder and Drack leapt from the Nomad with their weapons drawn, Vetra followed from behind. There was nothing left to fight. All that remained from the conflict was smouldering shuttlecraft and two badly burned bodies. Ryder scanned the remains with her omnitool. The first was a human trader by the name of Susan Painter, the second was the Asari Sula V'Lashi. What ever she knew, she had taken it to her grave. Vetra decided to remain on Kadara with Drack to see if they could finds some leads as to who had been behind the attack.

Lexi felt frustrated her one chance to make a difference in the world as something other than a doctor had been snatched away from her, and with it a life. She requested to be dropped off on Havarl to have some space and time to reflected on what had happened.

The rest of the crew made their way back to the Nexus where Ryder finally caught up with her Quarian counterpart. The Pathfinder told her about Zaal and his early awakening. Ryder agreed that a businessman didn't seem like the most logical choice for early revival. The Pathfinder went on to talk about his bodyguard. The quiet human biotic that kept them safe from the Kett. It was the bodyguard that came up with the idea of turning the captured Kett ships into a minefield. Ryder had asked for all data pertaining to Zaal and the bodyguard to be forwarded on to Sam for further study.

Ryder was about to make her way back to the Tempest when Suvi ran into her. "We need to get to the tech lab now, there's been a break in."

The two were met by a troubled looking Doctor Aridana. "Pathfinder I'm sorry. We kept the samples under lock and key. I've checked the security logs. All the protocols had been followed last night. Whoever got in had inside help."

Ryder was puzzled "Sorry what samples?"

Aridana couldn't meet her gaze "The DNA samples of the Pathfinder crew, they were stolen last night!"

Lexi trudged through the wild Havarl landscape lost in her thoughts. She had never been a fighter. She had never undertaken an military training, so she didn't notice the broken twigs, the badly covered tracks or the weapons that glinted in the undergrowth. It was only when she felt the muzzle of an assault rifle pressed against her temple that she realised all too late the danger that she was in.

 **Against the grain**

The Roekaar had largely been disbanded, but a few fanatics remained. They worked in small clusters dotted around Helius. The Havarl cluster consisted of three Angara, and each of them had a gun trained on Lexi T'Perro's head.

Lexi was quite sure that she was about to die. She was unarmed, outnumbered and scared out of her mind. Lexi was a doctor, she'd devoted much of her life to her vocation. Violence went against everything that she stood for, the words _do no harm_ were sacred to her. All she could do was look with pleading eyes at the Angaran that was stood in front of her. A red dot appeared on his face right between his eyes. The other Angaran saw it and took cover yelling "Sniper!"

Lexi took this as her cue to start running. She managed to sprint a few meters before tripping on a tree root sending her facedown into the earth. She rolled onto her back in time to see one of the Roekaar pull a gun on her ready to fire. Then, quite unexpectedly his head seemed to pop. The sniper's bullet had silently struck it's mark.

A voice inside her head said "Get up and get the gun Lex."

Lexi grabbed the pistol protesting "I don't know what I'm doing."

She felt herself becoming weightless, surrounded once again by the pale blue light. The light faded and Lexi found herself on a firing range with a fierce Asari commando barking orders at her. She loaded the pistol and fired it at the targets with deadly precision. The meld broke and Lexi was back on Havarl, gun in hand. One of the Roekaar drew on her. She shot him in the arm forcing him to drop his weapon. "I'm sorry. Please, leave me alone. I don't want to hurt you."

The Roekaar got the message and ran off into the undergrowth clutching his bleeding arm. The sound of a twig snapping made Lexi turn sharply bringing her face to face with the last Roekaar. The voice spoke again "Use your biotics."

Lexi warped his pistol, crushing one of his digits in the process. Realising he was beaten, the Roekaar ran off leaving Lexi alone once more, all except for the voice "Breathe. You're okay Lex. I know it was hard for you to hurt them, but they'd have killed you. If we've any hope of stopping the Benefactor I need you alive."

Lexi scanned her surroundings "Show yourself. Please."

"I can't. The Benefactor has no idea that I've reached out to you and we need to keep it that way. I'm no use to you or your Pathfinder if they know I'm compromised." Came the reply.

"I thought you were dead." Grumbled Lexi wiping the dirt from her face.

"No, I'm very much alive. But please, quit trying to find me. If you want to look for someone start with Dr Michael Archer. He's one of the Benefactor's top scientists. Good luck Lex." The voice withdrew from her mind.

Lexi tapped on her omnitool and summoned a shuttle. She needed to get back to the Tempest and Ryder.

On the Nexus Ryder was stuck in the middle of an investigation. Who had stolen the DNA samples of the crew and why? The thief had opened all of the locks with a modified untraceable omnitool and all of the security footage had been wiped. Kandos was doing his best to investigate what had happened, but every lead ran cold. If any answers were to be found it wouldn't be on the Nexus.

Ryder and Suvi headed back to the Tempest to inform the crew what had happened.

The crew of the Tempest all had different responses to discovering that their DNA had been stolen. But everyone shared a sense of violation. Peebee theorised that they'd just been after Ryder's DNA because of her ability in interface with the vaults and Remnant technology. It seemed as good a reason as any.

The discussion was cut short by SAM "Pathfinder a Geth engineer has requested to join the crew."

Ryder looked to Gil "I wouldn't say no to spare pair of hands and a chance to catch up on some sleep. I'll show him the ropes."

Gil let the Geth aboard and gave him a tour of the ship while headed they to Kadara to collect Vetra and Drack. Peebee was fascinated by her new crew mate. She decided that he needed a name, but was stuck as to what it should be.

Vetra and Drack came bearing news. The merchant and the Asari they'd tracked to Kadara had been killed by the local Roekaar cluster. The Roekaar had since moved on to Voeld. The crew decided that they'd track them down, just as soon as they'd gotten Lexi.

The ship's doctor was glad to be back aboard the Tempest. She quickly met with Ryder and Suvi in the Pathfinder's quarters. She told them what had transpired on the planet's surface. Doctor Michael Archer. Ryder knew she'd heard that name before. "SAM, give me everything you've got on this guy."

"Doctor Michael T. Archer. Came to Andromeda aboard the Nexus. He disappeared around the time that the Nexus hit the Scourge. It was presumed that he perished, though it seems presumption is incorrect. Prior to coming to Andromeda he was involved in numerous projects relating to biotics. His work was considered highly controversial as he advocated selective breeding to enhance the progress of human biotics. He worked with your mother for a time, but there working relationship ended after she fell ill." SAM concluded.

Ryder felt a horrible sickening feeling deep in her gut. Just what the Hell had her parent's gotten caught up in? A part of her longed to talk to her mother and ask. There was one small problem, her mother had been at death's door when she'd gone into cryo. Waking her without a treatment for the disease would kill her. Suvi kissed Ryder gently on the forehead in the vague hope it might go some way to alleviating the headache that must've been raging in her mind right now.

Ryder buried her head in Suvi's shoulder. She was sick of putting on a brave face. She was tired, frustrated, angry and hurting. Tears fell from her eyes dampening the fabric of Suvi's uniform. She held her silently, letting Ryder own her pain and release it safely.

Lexi watched in heartbreak and awe. She felt for Ryder as both a Doctor and as a friend. Having a good cry was a normal and healthy response. She was amazed by the unspoken understanding that the couple had. The way Suvi could preempt and provide for Ryder's emotional needs was amazing. Lexi wondered if she would ever reach that level of emotional maturity with someone.

Ryder had finished crying and felt better for it. "Okay. We need to tell the crew what's going on. All of it. We'll bring them in individually to talk. I don't want to include our new Geth companion, we don't know him well enough yet to trust him with this."

One by one the crew were summoned. Gil was suitably terrified by the whole thing. He shared Ryder's frustration that it seemed that no sooner had they solved one problem, another one presented itself. On the upside Prospero the Geth was settling in well.

Vetra wasn't phased. She offered to put down feelers in Kadara. Drack offered to do the same in Elaaden.

Jaal did what Jaal did best. He hugged each of them. He would look into the Angaran black market traders. A man in hiding would need supplies and he had to be getting them from somewhere.

Kallo suggested reaching out to Saelen Varn to see if there were any leads as to where Dr Archer went after he left the Nexus. They agreed that was a good idea. Ryder got SAM to send an encrypted message to Saelen asking him to help.

Cora was excited by the prospect that their informant might be an Asari Commando. She wondered if was anyone she had served with.

"Is there any chance our informant isn't Asari?" Asked Suvi

Lexi shook her head "No. There have been numerous studies to see if other species could do it. But it appears to be intrinsic to Asari DNA it's linked to the gene that gives us our long lifespans."

"Even with my biotic skill, I still couldn't meld. Look, we're a squad mate down Ryder. It'd great if we could convince the commando to join us." Said Cora enthusiastically.

Peebee couldn't help but laugh at the part of Lexi's story where she fell over the tree root. She'd loved to have seen it. Seeing the rage flash in Lexi's eyes Peebee put on her sensible head. "I could message Kalinda saying we're looking for an Asari hired gun as we're a man down. But your pal said not to go looking. I say we go with Kallo's suggestion and let Salean do his thing."

For once Lexi found herself agreeing with Peebee. They would have to be patient and see what the wiley old spy could discover.

When the Tempest arrived on Voeld, Ryder, Jaal and Peebee headed off in the Nomad. They hoped to capture and question the Roekaar from Kadara. But someone had beaten them to it. All eight lay dead on the ice with their necks snapped. Spent ammunition littered the ground, all of it Angaran. SAM analysed the scene "Pathfinder it would appear that the Angara were the only ones to discharge their weapons during this fight. Scans indicate all shots were fired in one direction there was no return fire. All of the rounds were deflected by a shield. In the absence of a nearby power source the shield was most likely biotic in nature."

Ryder had Lexi perform an autopsy on each of the fallen Roekaar. There were no other injuries apart from the broken necks. Curiously, they'd all died at the same time. Their deaths would have been instantaneous. "It was quick and clean I doubt they knew anything about it. In the absence of any other injuries, I'm inclined to think their killer used either advanced biotics or some kind of energy weapon we don't know about. Neither prospect sounds good."

Elaaden had just become the latest temporary home Zaal and his bodyguard. They were hiding out in the ruins of the crashed ship awaiting their next orders. The intense heat slowly roasted Zaal in his environmental suit, adding to his misery. He hoped his next assignment would take him somewhere cooler, just so long as it wasn't Voeld again. It seemed like everything in this galaxy was out to kill him, first the Kett, taken those strange lizard creatures, then the Angarans. While he'd never say it to their face, he was glad that the bodyguard was around to protect him. He regarded his watchdog who seemed to be enjoying the heat. "I suppose you think I'm a monster?"

The bodyguard nodded. Zaal sighed "I have my reasons you know. For doing this."

The bodyguard's right hand made a fist with index finger and thumb extended and struck it against the left side of their chest. _Why?_ "My people are weak. We need these suits to survive. You care for your brother and sister. I loved my little sister. I was her hero, she was always trying to be like me. We were visiting the Citadel when her suit got torn while we played. She breathed in the air and was infected with a human flu virus. It was too much for her immune system to cope."

The bodyguard made a fist again and rubbed it up and down their sternum. _Sorry._ "It's not your fault. The people that made you engineered you to be strong. I'm hoping they can help my people the be strong and not need these suits in order to exist. If they can find a way of bolstering our immune systems then we stand a real chance of making it here in Andromeda."

For the first time ever the bodyguard felt pity for Zaal. It didn't alter the fact the man was a thoroughbred arsehole though. The bodyguard wanted to say that Zaal was in over his head. To warn him that the company would only do something if it was in their best interests. Their very human centric interests. But Zaal wouldn't listen and the bodyguard couldn't speak.

Instead the bodyguard got lost in their thoughts. Were they any better than Zaal? They followed orders in the vain hope that it would keep their siblings safe. But in reality the company would do whatever it wanted to them regardless of the bodyguard's compliance. Now there were new DNA samples heading to the lab. The company would used them to create more slaves with serial numbers. The bodyguard had no name. They were classified as a Series 51 ultrabiotic, designation 773. Nothing deserved that fate. No one deserved to be voiceless and nameless, reduced to a sequence of numbers. The bodyguard made a difficult decision " _Brother, Sister, please forgive me, but this has to stop."_

 **Origins**

The auditorium at the Medical University of Bristol was packed. Lexi and Harry made their to their seats on the left hand side of the auditorium while a nineteen year old Suvi Anwar and her father sat on the right. Sitting in the centre at the very front row was the Benefactor and Doctor Michael Archer. The auditorium was old and stuffy, but the teaching hospital it was attached to was state of the art.

They were all there for the same reason to listen to orthopaedic surgeon Doctor Kumal Singh. He was an expert at helping patients come to terms with amputations and helping them adapt to their new prosthetics.

Lexi was interested from the perspective of psychology, especially in the management of patients who'd suffered traumatic limb loss. Harry had tagged along for the ride. Lexi had promised to buy him dinner if he did. He'd made a reservation at a little bistro that overlooked the Bristol waterfront.

Like Lexi, the Benefactor and Archer's interest in Kumal came from a psychological perspective. How could they get their future test subjects to embrace their augmentations without having some sort of breakdown? How would a psyche cope when it's body became more synthetic than organic?

While Mr Anwar knew his daughter wasn't into medicine as much as some of the other sciences, he knew she'd like Kumal.

The Doctor wandered on stage wearing a pair of shorts that showed off his prosthetic legs. "Good afternoon everyone and thank you for coming here today. I'm Kumal and I am a doctor and a Hindu. I believe that faith and science can embrace each other as friends. I believe that an open mind and an open heart are useful diagnostic tools. It's simply a matter of appropriate application. Think of it like the humble old bandage. When applied correctly a bandage can provide comfort and support. It can help stem the flow of a haemorrhage. It can mend broken bones. In contrast a badly applied bandage can cause pain and discomfort. It can cause pressure sores leading to ulceration. If applied too loosely it serves no functional purpose. If applied too tightly the results can be catastrophic."

At this point he gestured to his own legs. Young Suvi Anwar's jaw dropped "Did you hear what he said Dad? He believes! He's like me!"

Suvi's father smiled, he was very sure there was no one in the galaxy quite like his daughter. He looked on with joy and pride as his child sat transfixed by Kumal.

Kumal talked in depth about the various emotions experienced by amputees. The anger, frustration, invalidation even grief. He talked about how people regardless of faith, race or species were so much more than their bodies. That their value was not defined by their physical dimensions. That their worth was more than the number of organic components they still possessed.

As Kumal started to wrap up the lecture, Archer and the Benefactor left. They didn't want to be caught up in the rush at the end. It was a great shame they never heard Kumal's closing statement about facing death. Had they listened to the message and embraced it, it might have saved a lot of people a lot of hurt. But they weren't there and they didn't listen and so they embarked on a path that would see an older Suvi Anwar call them an affront to both science and God.

"When your time has come, there's nothing you can do about it. A chapter has to close for the next one to begin."

 **All good things**

The moment a search for Dr Archer was logged, an alert trigger in the Benefactor's headquarters. The Benefactor had already foreseen such events and had a prepared protocols for them accordingly. Varn had to die. A encrypted dossier of fake intel was compiled and sent to the spy.

Saelen Varn was a paranoid man. But for the most part his paranoia served him well. He trusted no one, it was a shame he did extend that mistrust to some of the technology that he used. The years were starting to catch up with him, his dealings with Doctor Aden had been a painful reminder of that. To that end he'd employed an Asari commando named Uri T'Voss to help with the heavy lifting. She was a sharpshooter that had been recommended by the Asari Pathfinder herself. The commando had been his constant companion as they flitted from place to place never staying on one planet for too long.

They traveled Helius under false names and their identities changed on a regular basis. Last week they were Sula V'Lashi and Bel Solus, but they'd had to change identities after it transpired that the real Sula V'Lashi had been killed by the Roekaar.

The two studied the dossier with interest. While it didn't reveal the location of the Doctor, it gave the locations of a drop off and a collection point that he used to send and receive supplies. Uri and Saelen were off to Elaaden. They sent an encrypted message to Ryder to meet them there.

Prospero had spent much of his existence following somebody else's lead. To be asked what he thought was a novel experience even if he felt totally unqualified to answer "I do not think I like it. It looks too… fuzzy."

Gil looked at his reflection, he'd been experimenting with growing a full beard. "So I should shave it off then?"

"Affirmative. Alternatively you could let your offspring pluck it out as they develop their hand to eye coordination." Offered Prospero.

Gil winced at the thought and started to trim his facial hair back to its original style.

Deep in the bowels of the abandoned ship Zaal's omnitool bleeped. New orders had finally arrived from the Company. It was a contract kill, sanctioned by none other than the Benefactor. Their targets would be directed to a remote location where the bodyguard would be able to neutralize them. There was a substantial financial reward for completing the hit. Zaal read the intended victims names with interest. Saelen Varn and Sara Ryder.

Zaal had no love for Varn. The spy had been responsible for shutting down a number of his trafficking rings back in the Milky Way. He'd be glad to finally be rid of the interfering old toad. Zaal had no issue with Ryder. He hadn't forgotten that she was instrumental in rescuing the Quarian Ark from the Kett and the Reaper. Still if his people were to have a future on Helius he needed to stay on the right side of the Company and the Benefactor. Ryder might have been a Pathfinder but she was no match against an ultrabiotic. Zaal had seen first hand what the engineered killing machine was capable of. He still felt a little nauseous every time he remembered the way they warped the Kett. Then there'd been the Roekaar on Voeld. They fired round after round, but nothing broke through the biotic shield. Then, with a single biotic attack they snapped the necks of the eight Roekaar simultaneously. The was no doubt in Zaal's mind that Sara Ryder would die today.

When Zaal had been issued with his bodyguard he was told to not to get attached and not to give it a name. He was told to think of it as a beast of burden. It was a dangerous animal that needed to be kept on a leash, or more accurately a shock collar. He'd sent it to get some supplies from New Tuchanka. Zaal sent them a message via his omnitool ordering them back to the ruined ship.

Kallo, Gil and Prospero stayed aboard the Tempest while the rest of the crew disembarked onto Elaaden. Cora, Drack and Jaal were on standby just in case Ryder needed back up. Suvi went to Vorn's greenhouse to catch up with her friend. Meanwhile Lexi and Peebee went to the bar. Lexi had promised to Peebee a drink or two as a thank you for the time she let her borrow Zap to extract revenge on a crewmate.

Vetra and Ryder would rendezvous with Varn at the collection point. Varn had neglected to mention the second site that Uri was guarding. The less information he shared, the less chance there was of being compromised. While Varn didn't fully trust Uri he felt an Asari commando was perfectly capable of guarding some hollowed out rocks. He'd chosen to disregard Uri's complaints that something felt off, maybe his paranoia was starting to rub off on her.

Lexi and Peebee were lusting after the mercenary at the bar, though Lexi would never admit to it. The armour and body language were quite masculine, but the facial features had a feminine element to them. The mercenary finished their drink and made to leave the bar. They smiled at Lexi and winked as they walked past the Asari womens' table

Peebee elbowed Lexi "Go after them!"

Lexi shook her head and gestured at the empty glasses that Peebee had drained "You're the one that drank all the liquid courage."

Something about the setup of the drop off point had felt off to Uri and now she knew why. It was right by a Fiend's lair. A small male charged at her. Using her jump jets, she missed the charge and bought it down with a hail of bullets from her silenced assault rifle. A second male charged at her knocking her into a nearby rock formation, the impact broke her gun arm, several ribs and her omnitool. She picked up her gun in the other hand killing the male just before he could charge again. She dropped to the ground fighting to breathe. One of her broken ribs had punctured a lung. Her sharp battle senses were dulled by the pain. She didn't notice the female close in on her location until she felt it's teeth bite straight through her leg.

"You're in the wrong place Lex. The lab isn't on a planet. It's on a space station just outside of Helius." said the now familiar voice.

"Why are you telling me all of this now?" Snapped Lexi.

"Because times run out. I'm about to die." Replied the voice.

"What! How? What can I do?" Lexi felt the familiar rush of adrenaline.

"Nothing. It doesn't matter. I don't matter. This information however does. Go get your Pathfinder and get out of here." The voice faded.

Lexi prodded her omnitool "Cora, I need you to find an Asari. She's injured and there's possibly going to be hostiles in the area."

Cora's voice came over the comms channel "We're boarding a shuttle now. SAM's picked up the lifesigns of an injured Asari near that old ship."

Peebee looked at Lexi in utter confusion. "Lexi, what's going on?"

Lexi sprinted out of the bar "I melded with our informant again, she's been injured. I need to get to the Tempest and prepare the med bay."

Peebee tried to catch her up "Wait Lexi you, your…"

But it was too late. Lexi was too fast and Peebee was too drunk.

The huge female Fiend didn't stand a chance against Drack, Cora and Jaal. With the beast dead, they quickly made their way to Lexi's informant. Jaal poured medi gel on the raw stump of Asari's leg. Cora scanned her for vitals, but the Asari was dead. They gathered up her remains and took her back to the Tempest.

At the exact same time Saelen, Ryder and Vetra arrived at Doctor Archer's collection point and prepared to install a tracking device. Zaal and the bodyguard closed in on their location. "Go on then. Do your thing."

The bodyguard smiled shook their head. Zaal activated his omnitool and a surge of electricity coursed through the bodyguard. "Do it! Kill them!" Growled Zaal.

Again the bodyguard smiled shook their head "Fucking do it or we're both dead you stupid fucking bosh'tet!" Screamed Zaal.

The sound of his shout traveled across the sands and was picked up by the keen hearing of Vetra. She spun around sniper rifle at the ready.

Shock after shock surged through the bodyguard, dropping them to their knees. Zaal was scared and jabbed at omnitool mindlessly. The voltage had pushed the bodyguards heart out of rhythm, they were starting to die. They knew that they would never be able to stop the Company or the Benefactor. The shock collar and the engineered virus that it housed had seen to that. But maybe, just maybe Sara Ryder and her crew could succeed. The bodyguard wished them good luck, then prepared to accept death and the freedom and peace that it offered.

Vetra's digit depressed the trigger and a bullet struck Zaal and the head. He slumped in the sand next to his bodyguard. Ryder and Vetra ran towards them scanning for signs of life.

Aboard the Tempest Lexi was performing last offices on her fallen Asari friend. When Vetra and Ryder burst in laying a wounded person on the second bed. "Lexi I'm sorry we couldn't save your friend. But right now this person needs your help. Please Lexi."

Lexi turned to see the mercenary from the bar laid out on the bed. Lexi worked quickly following the human trauma pathway ABCDE. Airway; Lexi noted a vocal cord suppressor had been installed, but the airway itself was patent. Breathing; erratic. Circulation; the scan showed the heart was in ventricular fibrillation as a result of the electric shock. She injected a cocktail of drugs and administered a corrective shock to put the heart back into sinus rhythm. Disability; the shock collar had to go. Lexi instructed SAM to safely deactivate it. She would analyse it further at a later date. Exposure; Lexi swiftly removed the armour and clothing striping the mercenary down to their bra and pants to examine the rest of the body for injuries.

Ryder and Vetra withdrew from the med bay and left Lexi to her work. Lexi set up an intravenous solution to rehydrate the mercenary, then selected a laryngoscope and a long thin pair of forceps. She tilted back their head a used the laryngoscope to reveal the vocal cords. Using the forceps she carefully extracted the suppressor. "Someone really didn't want you to talk. I wonder why."

Lexi had done all she could for the mercenary. They'd make a full recovery in time. She walked over to the first bed. She was sorry she couldn't have done more for Uri. Lexi had never gotten the chance to thank her for saving her from the Roekaar and now she never would. Lexi covered her up with a sheet and suppressed the urges to scream, cry and swear. There would be time for that later, but for now she still had to look after the mercenary.

The med bay doors opened and Peebee staggered in supported by Ryder and Prospero. "I know I'm drunk, but hear me out. You didn't meld. Your eyes didn't change. I don't know what it is you've been doing but it's not melding."

Lexi looked at Peebee in disbelief "Try telling me that again when you're sober. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to look after our mystery guest."

"Who Ellis?" Said Peebee gesturing the the mercenary.

"Where'd you get that name from?" Quizzed Ryder.

"It's on the armour look E-L-L-I-S." explained Peebee pointing at the chest piece that lay strewn on the floor.

"It's a serial number Peebee its 51.773. You're just looking at the armour upside down." Corrected Prospero.

"Oh. Really? I still like my idea better. I should go shouldn't I ?" Peebee sighed.

Lexi didn't answer, but Ryder and Prospero led her out just the same.

Lexi could hear the mercenary stirring behind her. She took a deep breath, composed herself and turned to face her patient who was now sat on the edge of the bed. They made hand gestures that Lexi couldn't understand "I'm sorry, I never learnt human sign language. I removed your vocal cord suppressor. You should be able to speak."

The mercenary smiled and said "Hello again Lex."

 **51.773**

Lexi blinked in disbelief. "Pathfinder, get back in here and bring Peebee."

She handed her patient some Initiative pyjamas to preserve their modesty and dignity. Lexi theorised it was a courtesy that few people had given her patient before. The familiar voice croaked "Thanks."

Ryder walked back in with Peebee clinging to her for balance.

Lexi regarded her fellow Asari and gestured to her with a needle "I need you sober for this."

"Have at it." Peebee pushed up her sleeve. The injection nullified the effects of the alcohol and Peebee sobered up.

"I'm Sara Ryder the Pathfinder." Ryder offered the mercenary her hand.

The mercenary accepted "I'm a 51 series ultrabiotic, designation 773."

"Yeah. I liked Ellis way better." Chirped Peebee.

Ryder rolled her eyes "This is Peebee. She likes giving out names. A lot."

The two shook hands. "This is Doctor Lexi T'Perro, she saved your life."

The mercenary offered their hand to the Doctor "Thank you Lex."

Lexi shook their hand but said nothing she was still trying to make sense of the situation.

The mercenary swallowed, their throat was still sore from having their vocal cord suppressor removed. "I'm sure you've got lots of questions. It's easier if I just show you. Be warned it's a bit bumpy at first."

Ryder, Peebee and Lexi found themselves floating in pale blue light. Slowly the light dissipated and they found themselves in a small cell consisting of a bed, a toilet and a sink. Confined in the cell was a young child, lonely and scared. It was only a matter of time before she came for them again. Unwelcome footsteps echoed down the corridor and stopped outside the door of the cell. The child swallowed hard trying not to cry. It was always worse if they were crying. The door opened and an Asari entered. She snatched a hold of the child's wrist and dragged them down the corridor to the training room.

After an intense physical work out the child was made to dodge and shield biotic attacks that the Asari hurled at them. Each failure was met with pain from both the impact of the attack and the now familiar jolt from the shock collar.

A medic patched up any significant injuries with state of the art technology that Lexi could only dream of, then the child was made to fight again.

The child was marched back to their cell and ate before being taken to a firing range. Just like before any failure was met with a painful jolt from the shock collar.

They were then returned to their cell to eat again. Then came the best part of the day, the child was taken to be socialised. The could talk to their siblings who also lived in the facility and play under the watchful eye of a kindly man they knew only as the caretaker. Like them he too wore a shock collar.

One of the Company doctors had told them they weren't so much siblings as batch mates, spawned from the same cocktail of DNA. They all bore similar features. They all had dark brown hair, although the brother's was straight, while the other two had corkscrew curls. They shared the same hazel eyes and the same pasty completion having never seen the sun. While they might not have been a conventional family, the shared experiences at the facility united them. They all feared the footsteps. They all feared the shock collars around their necks. They all wore scrubs with numbers printed on them. The brother was 51.771, the sister was 51.772 and the child was 51.773. The children referred to each other as the last three digits of their number as no one ever had the decency to give them names.

Time passed and 773 grew into a skilled sharpshooter. Being taken to the firing range no longer caused them much fear. Using firearms became easy, the actions now committed to muscle memory. There would alway be a few shocks each time a new challenge was introduced or the difficulty of the task was increased, but they was learning to cope with them. Pain and suffering were part of their normality now.

The training room was still terrifying. They were pushed harder and harder in a bid to unleash the potential they had been engineered to possess.

There were other classes now. Battle tactics, maths, history, sciences and engineering. Each subject was taught in a practical manner so the children never learnt to read or write. The Company did not want its merchandise to be able to communicate of their own free will. The ability to read and write would give them that opportunity. All of their exams were practical or oral.

Years passed and the children turned into teenagers. The youth became clumsy as their body grew and ached in new ways. There were a lot more shocks during that time. Once their bodies had finished developing, 773 and their siblings were taken to the medical wing to be sterilised. The sister screamed at the medics, using the words that the trainers reserved for her. They held her down an implanted a device in her throat, silencing her. They were placed on reduced training while their bodies healed from the ordeal.

Having lost her voice, the sister devised a new way to communicate using her biotics. If she allowed her biotic energy to resonate at the same frequency as someone else's, she could enter their mind and speak to them. She taught the process to her siblings and three discovered that could share thoughts, feelings, ideas, physical sensations and memories. They called it synchronisation.

The training room held no fear for 773 as they now easily outclassed their Asari teacher. The last time they'd fought the, Asari wound up being slammed against a wall and knocked out cold. As she came around, 773 expected to be shocked mercilessly. Instead the Asari smiled and said "Good job."

A short time after, the siblings were taught more about the purposes of their creation. They were introduced to Doctor Michael Archer. The Doctor was a specialist in biotics and right wing human centric scientist. He explained that humanity was at a disadvantage. That in order to assume their rightful place in the universe, humankind would have to push past their current limitations as a species. The siblings were the end product of years of research to create the perfect human biotic, the Ultrabiotic. He tried to get them on board with the project, to radicalise them with his perverse ideology. Having studied history the siblings knew that the pursuit of eugenics never had a happy ending.

Doctor Archer explained that they were property of the Company and they were obliged to fulfill their role in the pursuit of human perfection. They were fitted with cybernetics including oxidation scrubbers, that would increase their life expectancy and slow their aging. During this time they learnt of the existence of the Benefactor. A wealthy scientist who was the driving force behind the Company's progress.

The young adults were sent out on missions under the watchful eye of their handlers. They realised that they had been trained solely for the purpose of causing hurt and harm. To wreak death and destruction. After taking his first life the brother protested bitterly. Like his sister before him a device was implanted in throat, robbing him of his voice.

773 disliked killing people. They always tried to do it as quickly and humanely as possible, using their biotics to snap necks. Warping someone into paste was only reserved for foes that 773 deemed as deserving.

As they three became more adept they were given new shock collars. The collar could deliver a more powerful shock causing them greater pain and injury, even death if their handler deemed it necessary. The collar also permanently embedded a needle into the skin. The needle served to administer a deadly engineered disease that targeted their biotics. The large dose contained in their shock collars would ensure a quick and uncomfortable death. If they tried to remove the collar, they would die. If they wanted to live, they would have to obey.

The Company regularly tried to recruit biotic specialists to their cause. A scientist was being given a tour of the Lab as 773 was having routine blood work done. Ryder recognise her in a heartbeat, it was her mother. Archer gave her his spiel about the need for human advancement, neglecting to mention the illegal and downright immoral practises they were undertaking in order to achieve that goal. Ellen Ryder wasn't interested and the this wasn't an avenue of research she wanted to pursue right now. As she left the lab Archer gestured to one of the security guards, he handed him a tiny ampule saying "If we can't have her research, no one else will."

773 was sent Omega with a handler. The Company cut shady deals in order to secure funding. One such deal had gone bad and 773 was sent in to exact payment. They managed to capture the rogue trader without killing him and handed him over to Aria T'Loak. Their success as a field agent grew, far surpassing that of their siblings.

One day the three were summoned. The Benefactor spoke to them over a monitor much like they'd spoken to Alec Ryder. They were told about the Reapers and the threat that they posed to the galaxy. The Benefactor had decided to evacuate the Company to a safer location, Andromeda. The brother and sister would be put on ice and sent on ahead, while 773 would remain behind to act as a bodyguard for a crocked Quarian merchant. The three were heartbroken, they tried to fight as lab technicians came to take them, but the shock collars overwhelmed them.

773 raged at the monitor "One day, I'm going to find you and make you pay for this you abusive fucking bitch!"

With that they were shocked into submission, held down and fitted with a vocal cord suppressor like their siblings before them. Angry and silent they watched over Zaal until the time came to travel to Andromeda with him on the Quarian Ark. They fought off the invading Kett, willingly tearing apart a race that would attack an unarmed ship.

The Company and the Benefactor continued to threaten them with both the collar and the prospect of harm befalling their sleeping siblings. When the Company stole new DNA samples, they knew the Company was probably going to try and engineer more ultrabiotics. It was at this point they decided things had to stop, but they were powerless to do so. Sore from the shock collar they sought to kill the pain with alcohol. They were on their third shot when they noticed the crew of the Tempest. The people had a right to know what had happened. 773 reached out trying to synchronise but the alcohol made it difficult. They managed to send a warning to Lexi. Danger! Benefactor!

They encountered Lexi again on Havarl while laying low awaiting their next order from the Company. They had shot the Roekaar that would have killed her and used the synchronisation to share their knowledge of guns with the frightened doctor.

Their travels with Zaal lead them to Elaaden. It was there in the ruin of the huge alien ship that they realised the Company and the Benefactor would do whatever they wanted regardless of whether or not 773 obeyed orders. The two needed to be stopped but the shock collar around 773's neck meant they couldn't rise up against them. However the Pathfinder could.

When they saw Lexi at the bar in Elaaden, they realised the Pathfinder must've been on the planet too. They knew summons from Zaal was because the Benefactor had signed the Pathfinder's death warrant. That they were to be the instrument of Ryder's death. As they left the bar, they smiled and winked at Lexi, their attempt at saying both hello and goodbye.

When they returned to Zaal, he confirmed that the Benefactor wanted Ryder dead. 773 had a choice comply or die. It was a harsh one, but a choice no the less and it was theirs alone to make. They synchronised with Lexi for once last time, telling her about the space station beyond Helius. They went with Zaal to the bogus drop off and refused to kill the Pathfinder. They had chosen to die so that Ryder might live.

The synchronisation ended and Lexi, Peebee and Ryder were back in the med lab. Ryder struggled to know what to say. A thank you didn't quite seem good enough.

773 broke the silence "I'm sorry about your mother, they gave her the same disease that they put in my shock collar. A tiny dose like that would've taken a few years to kill her. It would've look suspicious if she died shortly after meeting with the Company. I'm sorry for your loss Ryder."

"Actually my Mom's in stasis. We're trying to find a cure for her." Smiled Ryder.

Lexi had a brilliant idea. "We've got a sample of the disease now, we can study it and work on a cure. I'll send a sample over to Harry and between the two of us we should be able to devise some sort of treatment."

"After everything you've done for me the least I can do is ask you to join us. Work with me and help me stop the Company and bring down the Benefactor. Deal?" Ryder offered her hand again.

They accepted "Deal."

Ryder organised for a bed to be put in the ship's armoury so that the new edition had somewhere to sleep.

Suvi decided to introduce herself to the latest edition to the crew. "Hello Ellis. I'm Suvi. Ryder told me what you did for her on Elaaden. I wanted to say thanks."

They shook hands "I'm not sure if Ellis is my name, that's just what Peebee calls me."

Suvi smiled "A name should mean something. Ellis has a few meanings. In Welsh Ellis is derivative of elus, meaning kindly and benevolent. You showed those qualities when you were willing to die instead of Ryder. Sara and I are together, she means the world to me. I started falling for after she told me she believes in a higher power like I do. Loving Sara can be terrifying, she faces so many dangers that I'm powerless to protect her from. When I get scared I pray to that higher power, my god to keep her safe, to bring her home to me. Today you were a godsend. Ellis can mean for God or simply for life. After everything you've done for us today, I can't think of a better name for you. Thank you Ellis and welcome aboard."

 **Healing**

Relationships are full of firsts. The first meeting, first kiss, first fight. With work, time and luck a relationship can evolve, strangers to friends, colleagues to lovers. Titles change and every action and experience becomes a first again. This was Suvi and Ryder's first date night since their engagement. They sat under the shade of the Tempest's wings grazing on a picnic, talking over recent events. The last few weeks had been a blur. They had rescued the Quarian Ark, defeated the Reaper and bought the Geth into the Initiative. Now they were beginning to investigate the Company and the Benefactor. They still hadn't announced their engagement yet. Ryder lay down and rested her head on Suvi's lap. Suvi tucked a rogue strand of hair behind Ryder's ear and asked "So when do you want to tell them?"

So far only two of the crew knew. Lexi had known about the engagement before Ryder even had a chance to propose having caught the Pathfinder red handed with an engagement ring. Suvi had confided in Kallo as soon as she was able. While he loved to gossip, as her best friend he could also keep a secret. He'd squeezed her tightly and given an excited squeak when she showed him the ring. He'd teared up when she asked him to be her best man.

Sara yawned "I'd like to tell Scott before we tell anyone else if that's okay. I thought I'd do it when I see him tonight. Hopefully by then Lexi might have some news on a treatment. She's meeting with Harry this afternoon to discuss her findings so far."

Suvi was quiet for a while, for the first time there was a distinct possibility that she might actually have to meet Ryder's mother. The thought was unnerving, what if they didn't get on, what if Ellen disapproved of her?

"Don't worry she'll love you." said Ryder knowing where Suvi's thoughts had gone.

Ryder sat up and wrapped her arms around her fiance. In Ryder's opinion Suvi had very few faults other than snoring (she snored like a dying Adhi!), and suffering with crippling self doubt when it came to what other people thought of her. Ryder pulled her in for a kiss. "I wish you could see you the way I do."

Gil's life was awash with new experiences since the arrival of his daughter Meredith. He had discovered a whole new level of fear. A dread of any harm befalling the little girl he loved so dearly. In stark opposition to this fear was a newfound courage, a bravery to make the galaxy a better place for his daughter. While Gil never had or ever would be a fighter, he could support those who were. He did everything in his power to keep the Tempest was at its best. Since the arrival of Prospero it was so much easier. Prospero handled all of the day to day mundane issues leaving Gil free to theorise and tinker. Some were wary of Prospero because of the history surrounding the Geth. Their rebellion against their Quarian creators and their subsequent Indoctrination by the Reapers didn't breed confidence. Since becoming a father, Gil had accept that people could and did change. If he could change for the better, why couldn't the Geth.

There were transmissions from the Milky Way that supported his theory, chiefly one from a Quarian named Tali'Zorah vas Normandy. It declared that there was now peace between the Quarians and the Geth and that the two planned to rebuild Rannoch together once they had defeated the Reapers. Sadly they had yet to hear if they had succeeded in that goal.

Prospero and Ellis's relationships with the crew were in their infancy. Both trying to find trust and their place within an established team.

Dr Harry Carlyle had been tasked with giving Ellis a medical and administering a SAM implant. He'd briefed by Lexi and Ryder about what his patient had been through and that their experiences with doctors were far from positive. He wondered why Lexi hadn't done the work up herself. He made a mental note to ask her when they met for lunch later that day.

The two had been friends for years. It was Lexi that he introduced him to his late wife Ella. When she died he his world had fallen apart. He'd lost his compass and all sense of direction as to how to navigate life. He felt dead inside, tired of life and the exquisite hurt in his heart. Lexi had dragged him out and made him work a voluntary shift at a clinic in Omega. It had been a brutal, unrelenting sixteen hour shift from hell and he loved every minute of it. Slowly he regained his zeal for life. When he discovered the Andromeda Initiative he decided it would be the perfect opportunity to start over. It hadn't taken too much to persuade Lexi, he'd had her at undiscovered xenobiology.

Harry introduced himself to his patient and explained what it was he wanted to do and why. The Pathfinder wanted to know what condition Ellis was in and if they were battle ready. In addition, Ryder wanted to understand more about what Ellis was and what the Company had done to them. It was hoped that having a SAM implant would help chart the extent of Ellis's abilities without the need for them being in a lab.

While Lexi was a good two hundred years older that Harry, she'd yet to surpass his skill with a needle. He extracted the blood samples and administered the implant without Ellis feeling a thing. He examined the circular burn marks on Ellis's neck from the shock collar, and the scarring from where the needle had been embedded in their neck. The flesh was hypersensitive from the years of trauma. Harry offered to replace the damaged flesh with a graft of healthy tissue, explaining it would take away the pain, sensitivity and scars. Ellis accepted and Harry set to work. The procedure was brief and successful. Harry hoped that no longer having the constant pain reminding them of the past might go some way to healing the damaged done to his patient's mind.

Harry discharged them saying "You've got a clean bill of health. I want you to take it easy for two days while your grafts heal, after that carry on as normal. SAM will start analysing the range of your biotic abilities and monitor the effect of your cybernetic implants. It's safe to say that your life span is going to be far longer than that of the average human as you're aging and oxidation processes have been slowed down by your implants. I can't give you an exact life expectancy yet, hopefully SAM will be able to find out in time. With regard to your mental health, you've been through a lot. I'm going to recommend regular counseling sessions with Dr T'Perro and I'll have her review your graft in two days time."

The Pathfinder had asked Drack to supervise Ellis. While Ryder trusted them, some of the crew remained sceptical, concerned that this was all a ruse by the Company. Having lived Ellis's memories and felt their pain, Ryder had no doubts as to where the ultrabiotic's loyalties lay. By having Drack keep tabs on Ellis it kept the crew happy, it also gave Drack an opportunity to mentor the new recruit who was used to being a solo operator. The two were steadily bonding over their mutual love of shotguns. "Come on kid. The Pathfinder wants you kitted out with new gear before your first mission."

All of Ellis's armour and equipment had been left on Elaaden. Officially they had died along side Zaal and Uri T'Voss. As to whether or not the Company believed it or not was another matter. Ellis opted Hyperguardian armour, an omni blade, a Piranha shotgun, a black widow sniper rifle, and a Falcon assault rifle. Drack nodded approvingly at the choices.

Harry's stomach growled as he waited in the refectory for Lexi to arrive, luckily she was punctual as ever. She walked towards him grinning which made him a little nervous. "What are you up to Lexi?"

Wordless she handed him a datapad. Harry read through the information, his eyes widening. If his eyes weren't deceiving him, Lexi had started work on a treatment and a vaccine for the disease that had stricken the Pathfinder's mother. Ellen Ryder had worked with Doctor Archer on a few projects. He'd been impressed by her prowess and hoped that he could convince her to join the Company. She had rejected his offer and in doing so, unwitting signed her own death warrant. While Ellen had been able to accept her fate, her husband could not. Unable to say goodbye, Alec Ryder secretly had her placed into stasis and smuggled her to Andromeda. He hoped one day she would awaken and they would be a family again. Sadly he had died before that dream could be realised. But this new research might just bring give her a chance to be reunited with her children.

"You've been busy! I'm guessing this is why you didn't get around to doing the work up on the new recruit." Enthused Harry.

When Ryder had asked Lexi to give Ellis a medical she declined stating trust issues, so the task had fallen to Harry. Lexi thought the world of her friend but she wasn't ready to talk about what was going on in her mind right now, so she let the presumption ride. "Well, do you think you can start to synthesize the formula for the antidote? I don't have the facilities to do it back on the Tempest."

The doctors ordered their food to go and headed to the medical unit of the Hyperion. It was going to be a working lunch today. They programmed formulas and ran simulations between bites of salad. By the time their food had been eaten, they'd narrowed down the formula they wanted to use, they just didn't have the resources to make it. Using her omnitool, Lexi updated the Pathfinder on their progress and put in a requisition for the materials that they would need.

Ryder was already with Scott when the message came through. The two were ecstatic, the mother they thought they'd lost might finally be coming back to them. However her awakening would lead to an unenviable task, telling her that Alec was gone. It had broken Ryder's heart telling Scott that their father had died, she dreaded the prospect of breaking that news to her mother too. Scott tried to lighten the mood with a change of subject "So how's things with Suvi?"

Ryder smiled "Good. Really good. I asked her to marry me."

"Judging by that big goofy grin of yours she said yes. Congrats sis." He hugged her tightly.

The two sipped on beer and talked about the future with hope. Scott started plotting Ryder's stag party and wondered if he might finally get a chance to know Cora Harper a little better.

Peebee paced the length and breadth of the bridge. She longed for the freedom of weightlessness, but they had yet to replace the escape pod she had jettisoned. The one by the armoury had been declared out of bounds by the Pathfinder. Ellis unpacked their new guns into the armoury and watched her bemused "What up?"

Peebee explained how she used zero gravity environments as a way to relax. She blushed as she told Ellis how she'd launched the escape pod that served as her bedroom in a volcano as part of a madcap plan to get her hands on a piece of rem tech.

Ellis chuckled "And Lexi thinks _I'm_ the liability around here. Actually, I think I can help. Do you trust me?"

Peebee answered honestly "I want to."

With a gesture of their hand Ellis encased Peebee in a bubble of zero gravity biotic energy. "Mmmm, now that hits the spot. Thanks, this is exactly what I needed."

Peebee closed her eyes and savoured the sensation. "By the way, you're wrong about Lexi. She doesn't think you're a liability, at least not in the way you think she does."

Ellis was intrigued "Care to elaborate?"

Peebee shook her head. It would've been so simple to explain everything, but it wasn't her place to do so. "Talk to Lexi."

The Benefactor was seething. The Pathfinder was still alive while Zaal and 773 were dead. She wondered how it was that her best field agent had been overpowered by a pack of Fiends. The only explanation Archer could provide was data transmitted from the shock collar before it overloaded. The it clearly showed that 773 had been shocked excessively prior to their death. Ultrabiotic or not it couldn't have fought with the damaged caused by the collar.

Archer had suggested retrieving 771 and 772 from cryostasis but the Benefactor had decided against it. For 773 to have been shocked so severely, it must have been noncomplianant. She didn't want to find out if the other to units would be just as rebellious. The Benefactor had studied reports about the Pathfinder. From what she could gather, the young woman was ruled by her heart not her head. In the Benefactor's mind this was a character flaw that she intended to exploit mercilessly.

The Benefactor watched the news footage of the Pathfinder emerging victorious from Meridian, sharing a kiss with a science officer. If her intel was accurate, the two were still a couple. A flash of malicious inspiration struck the Benefactor. She tapped away on the data pad with her synthetic arm. "Archer, see what you can do with these DNA samples."

Ellis slept with the door open, a side effect of years of being kept captive. Lexi stood in the doorway and observed that they had entered into a deep sleep. The covers were half hanging off, as a result of a fitful R.E.M. cycle, nightmares no doubt. Lexi silently approached the bed pulling the covers back over the sleeping Ellis. Quietly she backed away and made to leave the armoury, turning to find Peebee stood behind her. The younger Asari gave her a stern look "We need to talk."

 **Requisitions**

The Pathfinder and Suvi watched from a distance as Drack, Cora and Ellis fought their way through the group of Kett that had sought refuge on Eos since the fall of their fleet. Cora and Ellis had both been trained by Asari commandos, consequently their fighting styles and tactics complimented each other. They were like a pincers on a scorpion trapping and crushing their enemies while Drack was the deadly sting in the tail. Within minutes twenty dead Kett lay strewn around the forward station.

Ellis was under strict orders to dial down the full extent of their biotic powers, for fear of the Company discovering they weren't actually dead. Tales of a super powerful biotic working with the Pathfinder would travel far and wide.

Ryder beamed "I think it's safe to say Andromeda will be just fine without me for a fortnight. Two weeks on a remote island on Aya, here we come."

Suvi stood behind Ryder with her wrapped her arms around her. "You do realise you have to marry me before we get to go on honeymoon right? Anyway, we agreed we'd deal with the Company and the Benefactor first."

Suvi had a point. Ryder had a beginnings of a plan to take them down, it was just missing a few vital parts, chiefly her mother. The Pathfinder needed to know more about Doctor Archer and her mother had actually worked with him.

Ellen still lay in cryo, but Lexi and Harry were working on a cure for her. In addition, they planned to make a vaccine so that the crew wouldn't fall ill if they were exposed to the engineered disease. In order to create the treatment the doctors would need specialist equipment and some samples of element zero. Neither were easy to come by and as their project was under the radar, they couldn't go through conventional channels to procure it.

The Pathfinder and the crew would have to track down the resources themselves. Both Sarissa and Hayjar had mapped out several new worlds that looked as though they might yield the minerals that the Initiative needed to keep building in Andromeda. Ryder planned to visit these planets and acquire the materials that Harry and Lexi needed.

The crew were traveling into unknown territory and Ryder needed to know they were ready for whatever lay ahead. Today's exercise was a part of that. Drack, Cora and Ellis approached the couple and Cora called out "Hate to break you love birds up, but someone's got firing practise."

The custom pistol that Drack had bought Suvi hung from her belt. There was a time when Suvi would have found the idea of her wielding a gun laughable, but here in Andromeda she had found a reason to fight; Sara Ryder. Suvi would fight for the day that they would finally get married. She would fight for lazy Sundays watching cheesy old vids. She would fight for long walks in Elaaden's sun with a dog milling around their ankles. Love had made Doctor Suvi Anwar brave. She kissed Ryder and called to her teachers "I'll be right there."

Under Drack and Cora's tuition Suvi had mastered the art of hitting a stationary target. Now it was time for her to progress onto something more challenging. Using their biotics Ellis and Cora lifted up a selection of targets and slowly moved them around while Suvi took aim. Every time she managed to hit a target the grin on Drack's face grew larger. "Better than firing probes huh kid?"

Truthfully Suvi preferred firing probes, but she couldn't bring herself to tell that to Drack. Instead she smiled and kept on shooting. Once practise time was over, they returned to the Tempest where Lexi waited to give them a check up. Ryder was brewing tea in the galley as Suvi, Drack, Ellis and Cora piled in. Ryder handed Suvi a mug and was rewarded with a kiss. SAM chimed "Pathfinder you have an urgent email from Pathfinder Sarissa."

Ryder sighed and headed off to her quarters to see what her colleague wanted. Sarissa had sent a scout ship to the surface of a mineral rich planet called Krunis, but the ship had failed to return. Sarissa wanted Ryder to investigate.

Ryder called a meeting to inform the crew that they were going on a rescue mission into unknown territory. Vetra wisely suggested taking along the Architects in case the needed some heavy firepower. The Tempest touched down on surface of Krunis and Ryder, Vetra and Drack disembarked. Peebee and Suvi would remain with the Tempest and use their Architects to protect the ship from any threats that might present themselves.

The planet was shrouded in a perpetual dusk caused by dust from volcanic activity. Everything was tinted grey from the ash that swirled through the air like snowflakes. Visibility was awful, the squad could only see a few feet ahead of themselves at any given time. Much of the planet's indigenous life forms had been killed off by lack of sunlight. The air was virtually unbreathable as all nearly all of the plant life had perished.

They advanced slowly, being guided by scans from omnitools. After a while the feel of the ground beneath them started to change. It clung to their boots as though they were walking through adhesive. Ryder scanned the ground and SAM reported "Pathfinder the scan shows a composition of soil, ash from the volcano and an organic substance we have not encountered before. It's composition is similar to spider silk."

Back at the Tempest the Architects scanners were picking up movement. Six large lifesigns were closing in on the ship. Cora started breaking out the weapons "We've got company!"

Ellis fired up a biotic shield that surrounded the whole of the ship, whatever was out there wouldn't be able to harm them. Jaal and Cora descended the ramp and looked at what lurked on the other side of Ellis's barrier. Six large spider like creatures were unsuccessfully trying to breach the shield. They reared onto their back legs and tried to bite their way through with their substantial fangs. The two quickly ran back into the Tempest with Cora yelling "Kallo take off, we need to get to the Pathfinder before they do."

Lexi's voice came over the comms channel "Just a moment."

The spiders suddenly beat a hasty retreat, Cora watched them scurry away "What just happened?"

"Arachnids can be sensitive to certain ultrasonic frequencies, it's physically uncomfortable for them to stay in close proximity to the source." Replied Lexi.

Ryder swallowed hard as it dawned on her the she and her squad were stood on a gigantic spiders web. Fear applied a vice like clamp on Ryder's chest, she was terrified of spiders. The squad stood perfectly still knowing that the slightest movement would ripple through the webbing alerting the alien arachnids to their location. Suvi's voice came through the comms channel "We're coming to get you. I'm sending an ultrasonic frequency for you to transmit through your ominitool it should repel the uh."

Ryder finished her sentence "Giant spiders."

While Ryder and the squad couldn't detect the pulse being broadcast by the omnitool, the starving arachnids could. They crawled back to their burrows to flee the agonising sensation. The Tempest landed and the squad scrambled aboard to regroup. Lexi started "I think we can safely assume that the spiders are responsible of the disappearance of Sarissa's team. Theses thing are dangerous, but we really need the resources here so Harry and I can start work on the treatment and vaccines for all of you. The ultrasonic frequency has worked well so far, but the arachnids are starving there's a chance they'll endure the pain if it means they get fed. The scan Jaal managed to get indicates their exoskeleton is incredible hard, it would take a lot of firepower to bring one down, never mind the pack that we saw earlier."

Ryder looked pale "I know we need those resources, but I really don't want to be one those thing's dinner. Any ideas?"

Ellis piped up "Actually I do. Have the Tempest drop off a squad of four namely you, Vetra, Drack and me. We'll use the repellant frequency in combination with my shields."

"Ellis managed to kept six of them off of the Tempest without breaking a sweat." Agreed Cora.

"We'll take the Architects along too. I think they could punch a hole through an exoskeleton or two." Added Ellis.

Ryder sighed "Okay let's do this, and for the record I'm really scared of spiders."

The group trudged through the dull haze of the planet's surface once more. They'd managed to secure three mineral deposits before the spider's hunger got the better of them. Two males lunged at the group, but bounced straight off of Ellis's biotic shield. Drack and Vetra used their Architects to neutralise them. They pressed on deploying more probes as they went. SAM spoke "Pathfinder, I'm detecting an Asari lifesign ahead."

They advanced ten feet before finding the Asari bound in webbing to a dead tree. The spiders were saving her for later. For a fraction of a second Ellis dropped their shield, reforming it again to protect the bound Asari. Using her omniblade Ryder cut her free, sending tiny shockwaves through the network of webbing. More spiders descended sensing their last meal was being snatched away from them. Drack and Vetra used their Architects to shoot them down while Ryder carried the the Asari. The ravenous spiders began to feast on the bodies of the other dead spiders, leaving the group alone.

Back at the Tempest Lexi prepped the med bay, while Peebee looked on "So have you thought any more about our chat?"

Lexi sighed "This is hardly the time or the place Peebee."

"Okay, okay you win. I'll come back later." Peebee skulked off.

With everyone back on board, the Tempest made its way back to Meridian. Once Lexi had stabilised her patient she messaged Harry to say that all the resources they needed. She checked over the squad. Drack was fine, in fact he'd thoroughly enjoyed himself. He excitedly regaled Lexi with his version of events with a few embellishments thrown in for good measure. Vetra was unharmed, but would've been happy to never set foot on Krunis again. Ryder was an arachnophobe, the whole experience had been thoroughly unpleasant for her. Lexi figured it wasn't anything a hot shower and some time with Suvi couldn't remedy. Finally she came to Ellis "I'm fine Lex. Worry about that poor girl we rescued."

Lexi scanned them regardless just to be sure. She made a mental note to look at SAM's analysis of their biotic shield later.

It took a few days for everything to arrive at the Hyperion. Gil and Prospero took the opportunity to give the Tempest an overhaul, while Harry and Lexi assembled their equipment and began to formulate a vaccine. Suvi pitched in as a lab tech for them and while Ryder and Ellis ran errands and kept them in a constant supply of food and caffeine.

Vetra worked with Drack to restock the Tempest with munitions and supplies for their next push into the unknown. The Company's station was somewhere out there waiting to be found.

Peebee worked with Jaal, flirting unashamedly while tuning up the Architects ready for their next mission.

Harry was asleep in his chair when first batch of vaccines were finally ready. There had been several arguments between the crew as to who would be the guinea pig. Everyone had volunteered. Ryder, Suvi, Kallo and Gil had all been excluded as there was no one to replace them. Drack was hardy, but whether he admitted to it or not, the years were catching up with him. Lexi was loathe to use him for fear of upsetting the delicate balance within his battered body. Truth be told, she was reluctant to test it on any of them. She'd work with the crew for almost two years and they'd all managed to wrangle their way into her affections somehow. Prospero wasn't an option as he wasn't an organic life form and Lexi couldn't bring herself to test it on Ellis.

She loaded up a hypodermic and injected herself with the vaccine. There was a small amount of localised swelling, but nothing more. Lexi sat watching the clock waiting for the vaccine to become active in her system. She slept briefly before being awoken by Suvi coming into the lab with Ellis following behind armed with coffee. Lexi informed them the the vaccine was ready.

"So, how should we go about testing its efficacy?" questioned Suvi.

"There's only one way to find out." Said Lexi injecting herself with the disease.

 **Oaths**

Having grown up on Omega, Lexi deplored violence, but found solace in undoing the damage that it caused. As she undid the violence visited upon her father she found her steady hands and unturnable stomach, the building blocks of a medic.

When Lexi had studied human biology on Earth, she had made pledges to do right by her patients and sworn the Hippocratic oath. It was an ancient but endearing tradition that doctors still upheld.

Lexi had never understood how a vocation that should've invoked kindness and compassion could at times attract such monsters. There was Sims who had performed experimental surgery without anaesthetic on nonconsenting patients. Slave women whose rights and screams were ignored in favour of his progress. There was Mengele, Ishii and Clauberg all mass murdering experimenters who showed blatant disregard for that which should have been sacred to a doctor; life!

The names went on and were by no means exclusive to humanity as a species. All of them were utterly abhorrent to Lexi who had taken the words _primum non nocere_ to heart and integrated them into her daily practise.

It had been her idea to create the vaccine. She was the one who had formulated it and with Harry's help made it a reality. While the crew had all offered with informed consent and full capacity, Lexi couldn't accept it. The words echoed in her mind " _I will remember that I remain a member of society, with special obligations to all my fellow people."_

She had an obligation to each and everyone one of the crew. None of them would be her guinea pigs. The consequence of her creation would be her burden to bear alone. With a clear conscience Lexi injected herself with a lethal dose of the disease and hoped that her faith in her vaccine was deserved.

The last person to carry Lexi was her father. Despite being a seasoned bouncer he'd scoop up little Lexi and hold her with such tenderness. He'd look down upon her with a huge smile and love in his eyes. The person that carried her now was engineered to be a killing machine. Yet the familiar tenderness was still there, but the look in Ellis's eyes was one of fear and sadness. "I've got you Lex. Just hang in there okay."

Lexi was gently placed on a bed as Harry and Suvi descended upon her, scanning to see what effect the disease was having. Lexi had a slightly raised temperature as her immune system successfully fought off the unwelcome illness. Her head ached and her muscled cramped, but that was the sum total of her symptoms. The vaccine worked! Now Lexi had to face the fallout of her actions.

Harry's eyes were wet with tears of anger and relief. "Don't you dare pull a stunt like that again!"

He hugged her tightly and exhaled slowly, trying to regain composure. "I'll notify the Ryder twins, they'll want to know."

The Pathfinder was torn. On one hand she wanted to tear Lexi a new one. She had endangered her life, but had done so for the most noble of causes. She had acted within the tenets of her profession, technically she hadn't done anything wrong. "I'm grateful for the vaccine, and the treatment for Mom. I know you did this with the best of intentions Lexi, but damn it you could've died! You tell us we're not expendable, well neither are you. Talk about physician heal thyself! You're my friend Lexi, I need you."

Lexi swallowed hard. Ryder instantly felt guilty and sought to let her friend know that she was forgiven. She smiled "Seriously who else is going to keep everyone in check on mine and Suvi's stag parties?"

The two friends hugged. "Come on, let's get your mother out of cryo."

Scott and Ryder stood and watched as their mother was bought out of cryo and into the medical bay. Lexi set up the infusion that would allow Ellen Ryder's body to overcome the disease that currently incapacitated her. It would take a day or so for the treatment to run its course, during that time Ellen would stay in an induced coma to minimise any stress and trauma.

There were so many things that Ryder wanted to tell her mother and one thing she she dreaded having to say. Try as she might there was nothing she could do to alter the pain her words would cause, no matter how gently she phrased them. Alec Ryder was dead. The white hot pain, the sickening grief and the gaping emptiness were Ellen's to face just as her children had done before her.

Ryder didn't notice Suvi come in until she felt her fiance's lips press against her cheek. "Come on, let's get you back to the Tempest."

As they came aboard the smell of Drack's cooking hit them. Ryder hadn't realised how hungry she was until now. She devoured two helpings of roast dinner before heading off to her quarters. The couple clambered into bed tired, but unable to sleep. Suvi knew Ryder was worrying over telling Ellen about Alec's death, all the time her mind was on that topic she wouldn't sleep. Suvi needed to focus Ryder's mind on happier thoughts. "So where are we going to get married? Voeld is out of the question. No one will be able to hear our vows over the sound of my teeth chattering with the cold. We're not doing it on the Nexus because someone's bound to interrupt the ceremony with some mission for you. Same goes for Meridian. We both know you won't go to Kadara. Havarl is beautiful but the plants make poor Kallo sneeze. What about Elaaden?"

Ryder propped herself up on one elbow "I want to marry you on Eos. That's where I started falling in love with you. I remember coming back from clearing out the Kett. You and Kallo were sat under the Tempest wings, you'd found that piece of sandstone. The way you smiled gave me butterflies."

Suvi kissed Ryder "Very well, Eos it is."

Ryder wasn't the only person who'd had difficulty processing what Lexi had done. Both Drack and Cora had spoken to her about her actions in the medical bay. She told them she stood by her decision and inoculated them against the disease. Lexi had kept a low profile for the rest of the day. She hid out in the Tempest's med bay writing up her results and documenting her experiences of taking the vaccine and how it felt as it fought off the disease. She wrote until her eyes felt heavy and the need for sleep overrode her need to hide. She left the med bay on autopilot only to walk straight into Ellis. The former mercenary steadied her as she recovered from the collision.

"I suppose you've got something to say about this morning." Sighed Lexi

Ellis regarded her thoughtfully "Just because I don't like something doesn't make it wrong. I understand why you did it, it was just hard to watch. You made a judgement call to put yourself in harm's way because you value our lives. I can't be angry with you for that."

"I was just doing my job." said Lexi.

Lexi became aware of the total lack of space between them. Ellis still had their hand on her arm, the warmth radiated through the fabric of her uniform. They smelt of mint body wash and gun cleaner. Hazel eyes held the gaze Lexi's blue ones, eyes old before their time, aged by a harsh life. Ellis had been through so much. They were vulnerable despite all of their biotic powers. Lexi took a step backwards, away from Ellis, away from temptation.

Ellis looked down at their boots "There's more to life, more to you than your job. I know how much being a doctor means to you Lex, but don't confuse a professional line with a personal wall."

"Might I suggest that you leave the psychiatry to me." Retorted Lexi building the walls a little higher.

"As you wish Doctor T'Perro." Said Ellis, putting up a wall of their own.

Lexi slept badly. She was glad to escape the Tempest and make her way back to the medical bay of the Hyperion. Ellen Ryder was responding well to treatment. All of her vitals were steadily returning to normal. Lexi reduced the level of sedation and summoned the Ryder twins.

Suvi waited just outside, not wanting to intrude, but maintaining her promise that Ryder never had to face anything alone. Slowly Ellen drifted back into the waking world. She saw her son and daughter. Her eyes scanned the room for Alec. He wasn't there. Only one reason would explain his absence, then and there Ellen Ryder's heart broke. Her children held her and the three openly wept for their shared loss.

Outside the medical bay tears rolled down Suvi's face. She cried for each of the Ryders and one or two tears fell in remembrance of the family she had left behind.

The initial outpouring of grief passed and the Ryder twins began to fill Ellen in on all that had transpired since she had been placed into cryo.

The next few days followed a similar pattern. The twins would visit Ellen in the morning and stay with her until the evening. They were catching up on years of lost time. They told her about coming to Andromeda. How they fought the Kett and defeated the Archon. Ellen looked at her daughter saddened to think she'd suffered through much of this alone.

Ryder reassured her "Mom, I wasn't alone. I have my crew. I have Suvi and all of them have my back."

Ellen gave a knowing smile "Suvi?"

Ryder blushed a little "Suvi is the science officer aboard the Tempest, that's how we met. I actually took your advice and fell in love with someone. We got engaged a couple of weeks ago actually. She makes me really happy Mom."

Ellen hugged her daughter. Amidst all the change, heartache and turmoil, something positive had come out of all of this.

Things were more or less back to normal on the Tempest, everyone apart for Peebee and Ellis had been vaccinated. Lexi managed to collar the pair on the bridge as they modified ZAP's weaponry. "I'm afraid it's time for you two to get your shots."

Ellis offered their arm and Lexi administered the injection. Ellis headed off to the armoury muttering "Thank you Doctor."

Lexi gave Peebee her shot and made her way back to the med lab. The younger Asari followed her. "Since when did Ellis stop calling you Lex and start calling you Doctor?"

"It's for the best." Said Lexi trying to convince herself as much as she was Peebee.

Peebee left the doctor to her thoughts and made her way back to the bridge. Ellis was tinkering with a plasma augmentation for ZAP. "You wanna tell me what that was about."

Ellis shrugged "Chalk it up to experience. Rule number three for harmonious living on the Tempest; don't psychoanalyse the ship's Doctor."

Peebee couldn't help but laugh "Hey Ellis, what's rules one and two?"

Ellis grinned "Rule two is don't touch Gil's tools without permission. Rule one is don't drink tea made by Cora, it's bloody awful! Just please don't ever tell her I said that."

The two worked into the night installing the augmentation on ZAP and adding new ideas to the list rules for harmonious living on the Tempest.

Suvi felt physically sick as she made her way into the medical bay of the Hyperion. Ellen had asked to meet her alone.

Ellen smiled kindly at her "No need to look so worried Doctor Anwar. I just wanted to say hello and thank you."

Suvi stumbled over her words "Uh hello. You're welcome but what did you want to thank me for?"

Ellen explained "Thank you for loving her. For holding her up every time this galaxy tried to tear her down. Sara's stubborn, she gets that from her father. But that only gets you so far before you buckle. You're the one that kept her going and picked up the pieces while I slept."

Ellis wandered in carrying coffee. Ellen sat up "I know you from somewhere."

"You saw me in Doctor Archer's lab. I was one of his projects. I was a series 51 ultrabiotic, designation 773. But these days I go by the name Ellis." They extended their hand to Ellen.

Ryder made her way into the bay anxious as to how the meeting between Suvi and her mother had gone. Ryder took the opportunity to explain how she had come to meet Ellis. As Ellen was a biotic she asked to synchronise with Ellis and see exactly what had gone on in the Company's labs. Ellen didn't look with the view to understanding Ellis, but to search for clues and information that the others might have missed. As she ventured through Ellis memories she looked at lab reports and paperwork. The same name kept cropping up. Ellis hadn't been taught to read or write so had never known the name of the person responsible for so much of their suffering.

" _Most especially must I tread with care in matters of life and death. If it is given to me a life to save, all thanks. But it is also within my power to take a life; this awesome responsibility must be faced with great humbleness and awareness of my own frailty. Above all, I must not play God."_

Ellen surfaced from the synchronisation. "I know who the Benefactor is."

 **Benefactor**

Who we are is a result of many things, nature, nurture, environment and experience. It all shapes who we become or in the worst case scenario, warps us into a monster. Such was the case with Penny Mills. It was a dark, damp October morning as Penny and her parents arrived in Horsell. The infamous mist hung over the commons adding to the somber tone of the day.

Penny's favourite aunt Rosa Dawson was dying and her family had come to say good bye. Penny was thirteen and old enough to understand mortality and death. She knew that her aunt had been sick for sometime at that her death was an inevitability.

One by one the family said their goodbyes. There were tears, hugs, kisses and a plethora of I love yous. Finally it was Penny's turn to say farewell. Before she could kiss her aunt, a look of terror spread across the woman's face, she screamed and thrashed at the air as though trying to fend off an attacker. Rosa was suffering from hallucinations caused by years of substance abuse, but Penny never knew that. All she saw was her beloved Auntie Rosa dying in terror.

It instilled in Penny an absolute fear of death. Her family never had the decency to explain that her aunt had been hallucinating, Rosa's addiction was a secret shame of the wealthy, well to do family. Even when Penny started having nightmares about dying, her parents still hid the truth. They talked about how it was time to move on. They told her if she truly wanted to challenge death then maybe she should become a doctor. What Mr and Mrs Mills had in mind and what their daughter became were two quite different things.

Rosa had bequeath what was left of her wealth to Penny. It was put aside to fund her education. Penny was an apt, highly motivated student with a head for figures. She was able to use her family's money and influence to move in the same circles as the scientists that might be able to help her to achieve her goal. She attended galas and fundraisers, making notes and contacts.

It was at one such gala the she met a medical student called Michael Archer. He was obsessed with the betterment of the human race, chiefly surpassing the Asari in terms of biotic capabilities and lifespan. While Penny wasn't particularly interested in biotics, the concept of an extended lifespan piqued her curiosity. So it was that the unholy alliance between Archer's quest for human perfection and Penny's quest for immortality began.

Archer headed up the science and Penny managed the financial side of their enterprise. In order to explore Archer's theories, they would need test subjects. Penny allowed Archer to indulge his fantasies of engineering his batch of biotically enhanced humans on the proviso he used genes that promoted longevity. He referred to each attempt as a series. There were many failures, any unsuccessful series members that survived Archer's work were used for further experimentation in Project Perpetuity.

Some had the body parts prone to burnout replaced with synthetic components. Some had oxidisation scrubbers fitted to see how much their life expectations would increase. The final group had their brains removed and implanted into synthetic bodies. It was this group had the highest mortality rate as yet no one had survived more that a few months. Batch after batch, life after life, Penny lost count of the flames she extinguished so that hers could keep burning.

Penny inherited her parent's wealth which she ploughed back into the Company becoming its most stalwart benefactor. She encouraged Archer to engineer other types of servants the could be sold on in order to help finance his main research. Penny brokered deals with shady traders to distribute their product throughout the galaxy. They never thought of their creations as people, but as product. Objects that could be sold, experimented on or destroyed on a whim.

Penny had sources and informants everywhere. She learnt of the Andromeda Initiative and toyed with the idea of moving her project to place far from the unwanted attention of the Milky Way's many regulating bodies. The cost of bribing or assassinating nosey officials was starting to become prohibitive.

When Penny's sources told her about the Reapers and the extinction threat that they posed, her mind was made up for her. With her money and connections, she began to infiltrate the Initiative. She arranged to have key personnel placed on the Nexus and each of the arks.

Penny and a hand picked team would go on ahead of everyone one else in a micro ark that would serve as their laboratory and base of operations. As the years took their toll on Penny she had started to add more synthetic parts to her body. Most of her limbs were prosthetic and several of her internal organs had been swapped out in favour of more enduring hardware. There was no way that she'd have been able to go with the main bulk of the Initiative, the moment they did her medical it would have raised far too many questions.

When they arrived in Andromeda the whole sordid process started up again. They enjoyed their anonymity and killed anyone who posed a threat to their work, just as they had done six hundred years ago.

Disappointingly, one of Archer's creations, an ultrabiotic had been killed. While they weren't sure of the exact circumstances that had lead to its demise, it was clear that it had been rebelling against its assigned owner. Penny had just had the other two remaining ultrabiotics from the series terminated and studied to determine the fault. She couldn't risk them rebelling and putting her in danger. Her decision had put her at odds with Archer for the first time in the many years that they had worked together.

Try as he might, Archer had never found a flaw in his two dead ultrabiotics. He longed to study the body of 773, wondering what the malfunction was. The truth was there was never a fault with any of them, but a flaw in the way that Penny and Archer saw them. The two always regarded their creations as little more than things, but they were wrong. Their creations were sentient beings capable of choice and sacrifice.

773 had made a choice to reach out in desperate bid to stop the Company and the threats that it posed to Andromeda. That choice would have far reaching consequences for all of them.

Back at the Hyperion, Ellen Ryder had just surfaced from her synchronisation with Ellis. "I know who the Benefactor is."

The medical bay of the Hyperion fell silent. Ryder, Scott, Suvi, Lexi, Ellis and Harry awaited the revelation. "Her name is Penny Mills. I remember her, she had a special interest in genetic research into longevity and life lengthening implants. I always dismissed her and Archer as crazed human centric extremists. I had no idea what they were up to."

"She's got our DNA." Frowned Ryder.

Ellen looked troubled "Sara, if she integrated your DNA with Ellis's and got a hold of a SAM implant."

Ellis sighed "The bitch would have a walking weapon that can work the Vaults. She could hold the galaxy to ransom!"

Ellen held her daughter's hand "I know we've only just got each other back, but you have to stop her Sara."

Ellen turned her gaze to Suvi "Please bring her back to me."

Suvi nodded "I will."

Ryder opened a comms channel and ordered her crew back to the Tempest. Ryder bid her mother farewell and crew in the medical bay started to file out. Ellen called to Ellis. Having been in the poor soul's head she felt a need to counsel them, to mother them. "You are not a weapon, you're a person. Don't lose sight of your humanity Ellis. Oh and one more thing before you go, don't lose hope just yet, give her sometime to figure it out."

Lexi was catching up with Harry. The two planned to mass produce the vaccine in case the Company tried to weaponise their disease. Lexi watched as the crew began to depart. Scott led the way, while Suvi and Ryder walked side by side holding hands, fingers intertwined. Following behind was Ellis. Lexi felt an uncomfortable pang as they passed by. Her mind began to wander, but was brought back to reality by Ellen Ryder's call "Do you have a moment Doctor T'Perro?"

Lexi made her way to Ellen's bed "I know Sara is expecting you back on the Tempest, but I don't believe I've had a chance to thank you for your part in my revival. I understand your actions caused some friction between you and some of the crew."

Lexi nodded "It wasn't without consequence, but it was worth it. They'll be safe from the disease now. I hate to cut you short but I have to get back to the Tempest."

"Yes of course. Before you leave might I offer you a piece of advice. Live a little. All being well, you'll have centuries to look back on. Make them memorable. Now I should really let you get going. Good luck, knowing Sara's ability for getting into trouble, you're going to need it!" Ellen waved her off.

Lexi headed back to the Tempest where the crew were already beginning to plan their move against the Company base. Thanks to Vetra and Drack the ship was fully stocked and ready to go. Scott and his Architect would remain on Meridian. If Ryder fell, it would fall to Scott to continue her work. He would watch over Ellen and help Harrry get the vaccine ready for a mass inoculation program.

Come the morning, the Tempest would head out to search for the Company base, but for tonight they would celabrate all of their achievements in Andromeda so far. It was time for a party.

 **Downtime**

It didn't take long to make the necessary arrangements. Gil assumed control of organising the festivities. Drack was in charge of food with Vetra providing assistance mainly by keeping a salavating Peebee out of the kitchen.

"Just one little bite? Please?" She whined as Vetra dragged her out of the kitchen in a headlock for a third time.

Ryder, Prospero, Suvi and Kallo had been sent to collect as much booze as the could carry from the Hyperion's refectory while the rest of the crew were put to work in the cargo bay. Lexi, Cora and Ellis shifted boxes and crates to form seating and a large table that everyone could sit around. Gil stood on the balcony issuing orders to the team beneath him. Between the three of them and their biotics, they made short work of shifting the heavy cargo.

Lexi looked in dismay at the vast quantity of alcohol being dragged on board. "Point of order, anyone wanting a hangover recovery shot later needs to let me know now."

Unsurprisingly everyone's hand went up. With the furniture, food and alcohol all in place it was time for the festivities to bring.

"Okay crew house rules. Peebee, Lexi, Ellis no melding or syncing to workout what people have in their hands. Gloves off and sleeves rolled up to the elbows everyone."

Suvi obliged exposing her engagement ring and her tattoos. Cora noticed the Fibonacci inspired artwork and commented "Didn't peg you as having ink."

Peebee practically climbed over the table, graphing ahold of Suvi's left hand "Screw the tattoos! Check out the engagement ring!"

Suvi wrapped her right arm around Ryder "So there's something we wanted to tell you all. We're getting married!"

Jaal joyfully teared up at the news and hugged them both. Between happy sobs he managed to propose a toast to the couple. It was rare that anyone called the Pathfinder by her first name, but it seemed appropriate given the circumstances "To Sara and Suvi."

The crew raised their bottles and glasses "To Sara and Suvi."

Peebee downed her drink and clambered over the table to marveled at the ring. The markings reminded her a little of the patterns that she saw in Remnant tech. Ryder explained that the inlay had come from the fragment of meteorite that they'd found on Elaaden. Drack and Peebee chuckled at the memory of Ryder falling into the crater. Drack clapped the couple on the shoulders bringing them in for a hug. "I'll cook for if you like. Just as long as someone keeps Peebee out of the kitchen!"

Vetra was next to congratulate them and offered her services to help get the couple anything that they needed for the ceremony from snacks to champagne.

Lexi and Kallo breathed a collective sigh of relief, they no longer had to keep the exciting news a secret. They too lined up for hugs along with the others. Once the initial excitement had died down, everyone took a seat and Gil dealt them in for the poker game.

The walls of the cargo hold reverberated with laughter as drinks were drained and credits were lost. Gil steadily annihilated everyone at poker.

Emboldened by beer, Cora and Peebee playfully argued as to who was the strongest at lifting using biotics. Gil was intrigued "So can any of you lift up Drack? Let's make things interesting, you have to lift up Drack and hold him there for a full minute. The person that lifts him the highest gets all of my winnings!"

Before Drack could protest Peebee tried to lift him "Gravity goes away in three, two, one."

Drack slowly drifted into the air. Gil used his omnitool to measure how high Drack had been lifted. 4ft. Once the minute had elapsed Peebee lowered him back down and Ryder took her turn. Once again Drack was lifted upwards and Gil took a measurement. "4ft 7" exactly. Good one Ryder! Okay Cora, show us what you've got!"

Cora sent Drack upwards in one swift movement. Gil took a measurement and excitedly declared "4ft 7". We have a tie!"

Lexi had been reflecting on the advice that Ellen Ryder had given her _live a little_. She stood up and approached Drack "My turn."

Drack laughed "Still trying to sweep me off my feet Doc?"

Lexi rolled her eyes and propelled the Krogan into the air. Gil managed to overcome his surprise at Lexi's participation and measured how high she'd lifted Drack. "4ft 5" Nice try Lexi, but it's a draw between Cora and Ryder!"

Gil began to divvy up the credits when Prospero pointed out Ellis hadn't had a turn. The ultrabiotic grinned "I thought you'd never ask. You might want to put your drinks down everyone. You're all going up."

There was a clunking and chinking as the crew put down their drinks. With a gesture of their left hand Ellis gently lifted the crew upwards level with the balcony. "Just let me know when you want to come down."

Ellis sat on a crate and took a long swig of beer. The vast majority of the crew had never been held in biotic suspension before. Kallo loved it, it was as though he was flying. He beamed down at Ellis in appreciation. Ellis smiled back, it was nice to use their abilities for something fun, to have people laughing instead of screaming. Jaal found the experience soporific. His eyes drifted shut and he began to snore softly until he was rudely awakened by a jab in the ribs from Peebee. She was used to Ellis's biotics and regularly had them knock out the gravity for her. Suvi tapped away on her omnitool makes notes about the experience and privately wondered about asking Ryder to use her biotics the next time they had sex. For Lexi and Ryder the experience was a reminder of how strong Ellis actually was. It would have been so easy for them to have killed Ryder on Elaaden. Gil looked down at the ground far below him and swallowed hard. "Okay Ellis you win. You can bring us back down now."

"Spoilsport." Hissed Kallo.

The crew were gently lower back down to the deck and Gil handed over his winnings. Drack told wars stories while the others listened sipping their drinks and grazing on the buffet that he'd made.

Kallo felt hot and tired. The pilot knew he'd had enough for one night. He bid everyone goodnight before tottering over to Lexi for a recovery shot. Ellis caught him before he went off to bed and told him that if ever he wanted to be held in suspension again all he had to do was ask.

Suvi was stood behind Ryder, absentmindedly rubbing her shoulders. The beer had and laughter had gone some ways towards making her relax, but the tension of the last few days still bore their mark on the Pathfinders muscles. Ryder managed to suppress a loud groan of appreciation as Suvi worked one of the many knots loose. Ryder stood up "We're gonna head off to bed. You two okay to deal with these guys."

Ellis nodded, their mouth full of the last spiced root pastry. Lexi gave them their recovery shots and bid them good night. Suvi took Ryder by the hand and led her back to their quarters. "Right you, top off and get on the bed."

Ryder was only too happy to oblige. She slipped into her pyjama bottoms knowing that by the time Suvi had worked her magic on her back, all she'd want to do was sleep. Suvi set to work "It's just us now. Anything you want to talk about?"

"I'm worried about taking on the Company. I'm not sure what we're going to find on that station, I just know that what they're doing has to stop. What they're doing is.." Ryder trailed off looking for the word.

"Evil." Offered Suvi.

Ryder nodded "Yeah. Evil is the right word. The Jardaan gave their creations golden worlds. The Company just enslave theirs. I'm possibly going to have to fight people who are only attacking me because they'll die if they don't. At least we've got a cure now, we might be able to save some of them."

Ryder's eyes felt heavy. The worst of the knots in her back had gone, and Suvi lazily traced nondescript patterns onto her relaxed flesh. The Scot softly asked "Anything else you need?"

"Just hold me." Came a drowsy reply.

Suvi covered them up and snuggled into Ryder's naked back. "I've got you Sara. No matter what I've always got you."

Back in the cargo bay, Drack snored deeply. Lexi administered the Krogan strength recovery shot. He seemed quite comfortable, so Lexi covered him with a blanket and left him where he was. Ellis scooped up Cora and carried her to the crew's quarters and placed her on her bunk. Lexi administered the combination of chemicals that would sober her up and repress the hangover the following day. Next to be carried in was Gil. Ellis placed him in his bunk and Lexi jabbed him. Prospero sat himself down and promised to watch over them so Lexi could get some rest.

Jaal was just about awake, but unable to make his way to bed unaided. Ellis and Lexi each took an arm and steered him towards the lift. Once they reached the balcony they lead him around to his room. He was snoring before Lexi had finished giving him his shot. Vetra was more a less still with it. She used Ellis to steady herself as she wandered haphazardly towards her room. Lexi administered the shot while Ellis tucked her in.

Last and by no means least was Peebee. Ellis lifted her up and put her over their shoulder. They walked along the corridor towards the bridge and began to climb up the ladder. Lexi internally scolded herself for admiring the sight of Ellis's ass as they climbed, but kept looking regardless. Once Ellis was at the top, the doctor followed. Lexi pulled out Peebee's hammock and held it steady as Ellis decanted her into it. Ellis clicked together the safety straps that would keep Peebee from falling out. Once the slumbering Asari was secured, Lexi jabbed her.

Ellis extended their arm "Can I get one of those please?"

Lexi administered to shot and Ellis felt the mild, beer induced haze lift away. "Thanks Lex."

Lexi felt a sense of relief. She'd hated it when Ellis called her doctor. Just as before Lexi became aware of how close they were stood to each other. In the mess and chaos of Peebee's room, they had little choice. Lexi felt torn between professional instinct and private urges. "Ellis, I'd like to share some memories with you. It would mean melding."

Ellis nodded and took her hands in theirs. Lexi had forgotten that she'd taken off her gloves, the skin on skin contact was welcome but not helpful for focusing. She closed her eyes and exhaled slowly "Embrace eternity."

Ellis was back on Elaaden, seeing things from Lexi's perspective. She and Peebee were both watching the mercenary sat at the bar. Urges and needs that Lexi did her best to ignore were stirring as she enjoyed the view. As the mercenary got up Ellis realised exactly who is was that Lexi was feeling drawn to, them. Ellis went forward to see Lexi covering up them up as they slept in the armory. Peebee was there too. She told Lexi that they needed to talk. "It's obvious there's an attraction there. Why don't you do something about it?"

Lexi gave her usual reasons. That a relationship with a crewmate was unprofessional. Peebee shot down the excuse by pointing out Ryder and Suvi were together, despite the fact Ryder was their commanding officer. For every reason Lexi put forward, Peebee had a counter argument. It infuriated Lexi, but at the same time, she was impressed the the new found levels of maturity that her crewmate possessed these days. Peebee regardly Lexi sadly "Look, just promise me you'll think about it."

Ellis was pulled forward in time to a more recent encounter between them. The two of them talking about Lexi testing the vaccine on herself, standing close enough to kiss. The lack of space between them tantalizing and terrifying Lexi simultaneously. Lexi was fully aware of all the hurt and suffering that Ellis had endured. The denial of freedom and choice. Lexi felt that to make an advance on Ellis was wrong, yet another person imposing their will on someone who had only just gained their freedom.

Lexi ended the meld and the two were standing in back in Peebee's room. Still holding hands, still in close proximity. Nothing and everything had changed. Ellis moved forward closing final distance between the with a kiss.

 **Unwanted company**

Peebee drifted back into the waking world and felt the usual desire for caffeine kick in. Gracelessly she clambered out of her hammock and padded across the bridge to the armoury to see if Ellis wanted coffee too. She stuck her head around the door and saw that Ellis wasn't alone. A fully dressed Lexi T'Perro slept draped over an equally fully dressed Ellis. She'd dozed off after their makeout session. It had been innocent and gentle, limited to hugs and kisses. Both of them wanted to take things slowly. Peebee smiled and headed off to the galley to make three cups of coffee.

The smell of coffee permeated through the ship stirring the slumbering crew, all except Ryder and Suvi. The couple clung to each other savouring the the closeness and sanctuary of their embrace.

Peebee managed to escape from the galley before the others showed up. She didn't want to explain who the third cup of coffee was for. She figured that Lexi and Ellis would let the crew know what was transpiring between them when they were good and ready. Peebee woke the two by coughing loudly in the doorway. As Lexi's eyes opened and registered that Peebee was standing there she started to blush. The younger Asari couldn't help herself "Making housecalls are we now Doctor T'Perro?"

Lexi and Ellis went scarlet. Peebee smiled "The crew are starting to wake up, you might want to head back to the med bay if you aren't ready to tell people about whatever this is. My lips are sealed. I'm just glad you two got here in the end. I'm proud of you Lexi."

Peebee left them to say their goodbyes. They begrudgingly got to their feet. Ellis practically down the coffee before wrapping their arms around Lexi and letting their foreheads meet. Lexi let her lips find Ellis's for a brief kiss before leaving. She sighed "She's never going to let me live this down is she?"

Lexi made it back to the med lab before anyone noticed anything. She watched with satisfaction as the crew showed no ill effects from the alcohol they'd consumed the night before. The recovery shots had been highly effective. She made her way into the cargo bay and began to help Cora tidy away the storage containers from the previous night while Jaal and Vetra tidied away the empty bottles and leftover food.

SAM's voice was an unwelcome intrusion "Pathfinder you have an email from Pathfinder Rix. He has located the Company's base and requests your immediate presence. I have updated the map with the coordinates."

Ryder sighed deeply. She rolled over so she was facing Suvi and kissed her. "I just want to stay here with you."

Suvi hugged her tightly "Finish this mission and I promise you can stay here with me for as long as you like."

Ryder crawled out of bed, pulled on her pyjama top and headed over to the terminal. According to the message the station was located outside just of Heleus, hidden by the Scourge. Rix had only managed to find it because he was using Geth technology. "Kallo, take us to these coordinates as soon as you're ready."

Ryder summoned the crew to the meeting area and revealed her idea "Okay here's the plan. We'll board the station via this docking port. Cora, Drack and Prospero will guard the entrance to the ship. We don't want the Company getting a hold of the Tempest. Vetra, Peebee, Jaal and Ellis will come with me. Remember some of the people we encounter may be acting against their will. If you see a shock collar try to avoid using lethal force. We will make our way through the station and try to release anyone being held against their will. It would be good to take Archer and the Benefactor alive, but I'm willing to accept that might not be a possibility. Once we're done, the station is to be destroyed. Not one shred of that research can be allowed to remain."

"What about me? I was made by them." Asked Ellis.

"You're not research, you're a person." Replied Ryder not missing a beat. "Right everyone grab your gear, we're going in. Dismissed."

The ship was a flurry of activity as weapons were triple checked and ammo was distributed amongst the team. Pre fight rituals were observed. Cora read her Asari prayer book. Drack made sandwiches for after the fighting as everyone was usually ravenous post battle. Peebee programmed ZAP to help protect the Tempest. Vetra vid called Sid and Jaal called his family back on Havarl. Ellis meditated in the armoury. Ryder checked her gear, offered up a silent prayer and hugged Suvi. "I love you. I'll be home soon."

"Good, because we've got a wedding to plan for. I love you too, very much." Suvi hugged Ryder back.

Lexi caught Ellis by the arm as they walked past the med bay. "Are you okay?"

"If I'm being honest, I'm scared Lex. I can't sense my family, I've tried syncing but there's no one there. I know that they could be in cryo but.." Ellis's voice trailed off.

Lexi squeezed their hand "Whatever happens, I'll be here waiting."

One by one the team lined up ready to board the station. The Tempest lined up with the docking bay coupling. Kallo's voice came over the comms channel "Pressures are equalised. You're clear to disembark."

As Suvi watched Ryder she offered up her usual prayer "Please bring her back home to me safely."

Peebee was the first to descend the ramp. She slowly advanced into the corridor hugging the walls. She didn't notice the glint of the sniper rifle's barrel until it was too late. The shot rang out and searing pain tore through Peebee's right leg "Fuck!"

Several biotic shields sprang up around the wounded Asari, protecting her from further harm as Prospero retrieved her. Ryder used her biotics to lift the sniper from his hiding place and Vetra put a bullet between his eyes. She inspected the body, but found no shock collar. "Looks like the security are hired thugs."

Lexi assessed the damage in the med bay. The bullet was lodged in Peebee's femur and she would need to operate immediately to remove it. She opened a comms channel to Ryder as she waited for the anaesthetic to take a hold. "Ryder, Peebee will be okay but she's not going to be joining you on this mission."

Ryder sighed "Okay thanks Lexi."

Ryder turned to her remaining crew "It's just us now. Make every action count. This place has to be destroyed, no matter the cost. Ellis just use standard biotics. They don't know you're with us and I'd like to keep it that way for now."

The four set off into the station. They gone almost twenty five meters when the first wave of security attacked. They were well armed, but lack the cohesion and discipline of Ryder's squad. The unfortunate eight were lifted by biotics and picked off by Jaal and Vetra's sharp shooting.

They moved onwards picking off little groups as they went. The groups became larger as they drew nearer to the main lab. Barricades and sentry turrets blocked their way. The gunfire was thick and fast. Ryder and Ellis warped barriers out of the way and lifted foes into the air. Vetra and Jaal fired round after round, steadily thinning out the opposition until there was none left. The sentry turrets smoldered and the air stank of blood, smoke and weapons fire. The door to the lab was locked. Ryder scanned it with her omnitool and used SAM to hack it open. Slowly the door hissed and parted, biotic shields went up to protect the squad from whatever awaited within.

The brightly lit lab was occupied by one person, Doctor Michael Archer. He looked at the group entering his lab with contempt then his eyes came to rest on Ellis. "That Ultrabiotic is property of the Company. The processes used to create it and its DNA is copyrighted to us. It would be best for everyone if you returned it immediately."

"Not a chance. Ellis isn't your slave anymore!" Snarled Ryder

Archer sighed "The Ultrabiotic isn't a person. But rest assured, we have no intention of using it in the field again. It's going to be decommissioned just like we did with the rest of the 51 series. We need to understand how it stoped working within its designated parameters. We need to ensure this error doesn't occur in future models."

Ryder's heart broke for her crewmate. She looked over her shoulder and saw the hate and hurt burning in Ellis's eyes. Tears threatened to flow. "He's all yours Ellis. Catch us up when you're done."

Ryder, Vetra and Jaal moved onwards leaving Ellis to settle their score with Archer. The doctor pressed a button summoning reinforcements to his location. A large security team descended on the lab to terminate Ellis. "All units neutralise that ultrabiotic!"

Ellis charged up their biotics and roared "This is for my family!"

Ryder and her remaining squad faced little opposition as they pressed on into the station, unaware that the majority of the security force was squaring off against Ellis. Ryder noticed a sign marking the way to Project Perpetuity. She followed the sign to a pressurised door. Using her omnitool, she opened the door and entered. The door quickly closed and locked behind her separating her from the squad. Jaal and Vetra pummelled at the door, but it was useless. Not even SAM could open it. Vetra activated the comms channel "Doors locked up tight Ryder. We'll see if we can find another entrance."

"Okay, stay safe." Ryder replied.

Slowly the Pathfinder advanced into the dimly lit room. It was colder than the rest of the station. Ryder's instincts told her that something in the darkness was watching her. She bought her assault rifle to hip height with her finger over the trigger. "I know that you're there. Show yourself."

Silence. Not ever the sound or sensation of movement. Ryder tapped her omnitool and the shoulder light mounted to her armour clicked on. Slowly her make her way through the cold darkness. She could hear noises now. Rhythmic and mechanical in nature, like a synthetic heartbeat. Something about it gave Ryder the creeps. She took a controlled breath and slowly moved forward, weaving between the cover of shelving units and work surfaces. A few more steps and Ryder turned into a side room and came face to face with the Benefactor. "Hello Pathfinder."

Jaal and Vetra hadn't found another way into the lab, nor had they encountered any further resistance. Vetra wondered aloud "Where the heck is everyone?"

Jaal answered with another question "Where is Ellis?"

Before Vetra could offer an answer a sentry turret started firing at them.

Ellis fought to catch their breath, their body and biotics drained utterly from the fighting. Doctor Archer surveyed the devastation before him with terror. Every single security guard lay dead, their necks snapped cleanly. Each death had been quick and painless. "773 stand down. I command you to stand down! You are a product of this company and you will comply. Stand down 773!"

"I am a person, not a product and my name is Ellis!" They said defiantly.

Archer dived behind a work surface. Beside him lay a dead security guard still clutching a fully loaded assault rifle. Archer grabbed it and open fire in the direction of Ellis.

Ryder tried to process the sight in front of her. It was hard to determine where machine ended, and woman began. The majority of her limbs were prosthetic along with a large amount of her chest and abdominal cavity. She was connected to a unit that charged and calibrated her countless synthetic components. "You have fascinating genetics Miss Ryder. All of that potential utterly wasted on you. You fail to grasp what is at stake here. Your DNA and the SAM implant are two of the components that will serve to help me realise my vision. With the Jardaan technology at my disposal, I will be able engineer a new body genetically suited to me."

Ryder didn't like where this was going "And when that one wears out, then what?"

Penny chuckled "I'll make another and another one after that. Don't you see Ryder? Once Doctor Archer completes his latest project I'll have my own ultrabiotic pathfinder to unlock all of the secrets of the Jardaan for me. You're ruled by your heart, it makes you weak and foolish. With your abilities you could rule the galaxy and crush anyone that opposes humanity. But instead you seeks peace and partnership with lesser species. You discredit our glorious race Ryder. Andromeda will be humanity's for the taking and I shall be their eternal leader."

Ryder was unsure whether to pity or despise the woman in front of her "Your crazy quest for immortality ends right here, right now!"

"That is where you are sorely mistaken. I am going to live forever. Where as you Pathfinder are going to die." Laughed Penny

A synthetic finger depressed the trigger and an armour piercing round fired in the direction of Ryder's chest. The round tore straight through her. For a moment, the injury didn't register. Then Ryder felt the wetness of her blood seeping from the wound. There was now bright and brilliant pain that made Ryder loose her footing. Her peripheral vision was swallowed up by darkness and her legs went out from under her. As the darkness finally overwhelmed her, two words spilt from Ryder's lips, barely a whisper "Sorry Suvi."

 **Fallout**

The sound of the gunshot echoed over the comms channel followed by Ryder whispering "Sorry Suvi."

The first thing that Suvi felt was a crushing feeling in her chest, as though the very weight of the Nexus was bearing down on her sternum. She wanted to scream, to cry till she drowned in the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes.

SAM's voice broke the silence "The Pathfinder is unconscious. She has sustained a significant and life threatening injury. She will die if she does not receive urgent medical treatment. I have tried reaching the rest of the squad but they have yet to respond. The squad's vitals suggest that they are all engaged in active combat and are unable to come to the Pathfinder's aid. I will decrease her heart rate to reduce blood loss. "

The second feeling she felt was a white hot rage. It started off in the pit of her stomach spreading out through her body. It overrode the crushing feeling in her chest and filled her with an energy she'd never known before. She stormed into the armoury and grabbed her pistol.

Lexi prepped the med bay. According to the data from her SAM implant, Ryder had sustained a bullet wound to her left shoulder resulting in a shattered head of humerus and a severed brachial artery. Lexi prepared transfusions, arterial graft tissue and a synthetic portion of humerus to replace Ryder's shattered one.

As Suvi descended the ramp, neither Drack, Prospero or Cora was foolish enough to stand in her way. Instead Drack handed her some more ammo saying "Bring her home kid."

Cora messaged the rest of the crew to say that Suvi had joined the fight, but nobody had acknowledged her.

Penny took aim at the Pathfinder again the small red dot of the laser fell right between Ryder's eyes. She pulled the trigger and the second round flew towards Ryder then suddenly stopped suspended in the air, then fell to the floor. She fired again and again, emptying her clip, but the same thing happened. Ryder was unconscious and haemorrhaging over the floor so there was no way that she could generate a biotic shield. Penny stepped towards the Pathfinder, only to be blocked by biotic energy. There was a horrible groaning sound as the door to the lab was warped apart. Heavy footsteps headed in the direction of Penny and the Pathfinder. A bloodied Ellis strode into the side room pointing their shotgun at her head "I told you one day I'd find you!"

Before the Benefactor could do anything, Ellis trapped her in a bubble of biotic energy. "Oh no you don't. You can stay right there and wait for Suvi."

Lexi stood ready in the med bay as Ellis's voice crept into her mind "Help me Lex. Ryder's hurt bad and I don't know what to do."

Using the synchronisation, Lexi guided Ellis through removing the shattered armour to expose the wound and where to apply the medi gel. Ryder's vitals began to stabilise, as the hemorrhaging stopped. Ellis and Lexi's actions had bought her a little more time. She still needed transfusions and surgery to replace the shattered bone in her arm.

Suvi charged into the room "Sara!"

She dropped to her fiance's side "It's okay, I've got you Sara, I've got you."

Penny offered "If you let me go, I'll have Archer finish making the new one. Soon not only will I be able to create life, but I shall make it everlasting. No more death, no more heartache or grief just an abundance of human life. Nobody will be needing God, just me."

Ellis dropped to their knees, drained by the onslaught of constantly using their biotics "Suvi, I can't keep her in suspension for much longer."

Suvi drew her pistol and trained it on the Benefactor "Drop her, just focus on keeping you and Sara safe."

Ellis promptly obliged and Penny Mills hit the deck with a thud. She scrambled for her empty gun, but Suvi kicked it out of the way. "You're unfit to create life. God gave his creations free will, you gave yours shock collars! You speak of ending grief but a noble reason doth not a righteous cause make. What you and Archer have done is an affront to both Science and God. Can you not see that?"

Penny sneered "I see another silly little girl with no ambition. That brilliant mind of yours could be put to so much better use."

Suvi glowered "You can't write a genetic code for a soul. It's a God given gift. The mind is an extension of that. If you cloned me, you'd only have a copy of my genetics, what I am, not who I am."

Penny sighed "Clearly I'm wasting my time here."

She pressed a comms button, "Archer get in here now and bring reinforcements."

Ellis chuckled "I hate to break it to you, but he's not coming. No one is. Your security team got their necks snapped by my biotics and I emptied my shotgun into Archer's head."

"You fools!" Penny slowly hauled herself to her feet and pulled a pistol from a concealed compartment in her prosthetic leg. She pointed it at Suvi "How dare you deny me my…"

"Go to Hell!" Suvi fired her gun.

The incendiary shot hit Penny right between the eyes killing her instantly. A loud explosion rocked the station. Vetra's voice came over the comms channel, "We've taken down the last of the automated defenses, but we've started a plasma fire in the process, time to get out of here!"

Jaal and Vetra ran down the corridor to where Ellis, Suvi and the Pathfinder were. Jaal scooped up Ryder, while Vetra helped steady a weakened Ellis.

Ellis clung to Vetra's waist and watched as the fire spread around them destroying the last remnants of the Company and the Benefactor. Glass shattered as the extreme heat funnelled through the station. Amidst the chaos Ellis felt an odd sense of peace. It was too late to save their brother and sister, but their deaths had been avenged. Never again would the Benefactor, Archer or the Company inflict misery and suffering on a living being. Ellis was all that remained of their twisted legacy, but they were their own person now. A person with choices to make and a home to go to.

The group could now see the entrance ramp to the Tempest. Jaal and Suvi ran on ahead, desperate to get Ryder to the med bay where Lexi was ready to operate. Cora ran down the ramp and helped Vetra get Ellis back on board. "Take us out of here Kallo!"

Ryder was placed on the bed and Lexi and Suvi removed the remainder of her armour. Lexi set up infusions to replace the blood loss. Once Ryder had stabilised and her blood pressure came up, Lexi administered the anesthetic. Suvi held Ryder's right hand with both of hers while Lexi patched the severed artery with a proper graft. The next step was to remove the fragments of bone, then she pared back the humerus ready to implant the synthetic component and inserted it. Once all of the trauma had been tended to, Lexi closed up the wound. Suvi still held on to Ryder.

Lexi turned her attention to Ellis. When Archer had opened fire, his bullets had grazed the left side of Ellis's side face, their left forearm and left side of their chest wall. Lexi applied medi gel to each wound and administered a shot to deaden the pain and another to replace some of the nutrients that they needed to recover from the exertion. Lexi felt the pull between being a doctor and being something more to her patient. As a doctor she'd done everything she could for Ellis, but as herself, there was one more she could do. She placed a single kiss upon Ellis's forehead.

The med bay floor was littered with armour, broken, bloodied and burnt. Ryder lay on the bed stable, safe but with a long recovery ahead of her. Suvi continued to watch over her like a sentinel. Peebee slept on the other bed, her fractured femur slowly being mended by orthopaedic nanobots. The doors hissed open and Jaal entered carrying tea. He hugged Suvi "She is strong, your love makes her that way. Love makes us braver, able to do things we never thought possible."

Suvi buried her head in Jaal's shoulder and cried. He wrapped her up in his arms and wept with her. The emotional charge in the room was too much for Ellis. They rose from the chair they'd been slumped in and lurched off towards the showers. Hot water beat down on their face and mixed the the tears that now flowed freely. They scrubbed away the blood and sweat, but the emotional hurt lingered on. The water cut out and Ellis sat on the floor hugging their knees. Tears dampened the flesh that was trying to dry. They cried until there was nothing left. With sore eyes and a dry mouth they put on their pyjamas and wander towards the galley in desperate need of a drink. Drack handed them a sandwich and some water. "Get this down you kid, it'll help."

Ellis devoured it, thanked Drack and headed off to bed. They slept deeply, waking only when Lexi arrived. No words were spoken. Nothing could be said that would alter the gamut of emotions that people were trying to process. Lexi simply lay next to Ellis with her head on their chest. Lexi was spent. She had poured her everything into treating her wounded crew mates. The rise and fall of Ellis's chest soothed her into a much needed sleep. Her omnitool woke her, letting her know that Ryder was starting to regain consciousness. She left Ellis sleeping and headed back to the med bay. "Welcome back Ryder. You gave us all quite a scare."

Ryder blinked in disbelief. The last time she'd been conscious, she was sure that she was about to die. She tried to sit up, waking Suvi in the process. The Scot flung her arms around the Pathfinder, tears of joy and relief streamed from her eyes. Ryder held her tightly "It's okay, I've got you Suvi."

Even as she spoke the words they felt oddly familiar. She clung to her fiancé savouring every kiss, every touch. Suvi swallowed back her tears "I thought I'd lost you. When I saw you lying on the floor of that lab, blood everywhere.."

Suvi trailed off. The gravity of her actions weighed down on her. While there was no doubt that the Benefactor would have killed her, Ryder and Ellis, it didn't alter the fact that she had taken a life. Ellis made their way into the med bay carrying two cups of tea and three cups of coffee. Ellis handed Suvi a tea saying "I didn't get a chance yesterday, but thank you for saving my life. My biotics had pretty much burned out. If she'd shot at me, I couldn't have stopped her."

Ellis wandered over to Peebee who'd just woken up and handed her a coffee. She sat up and grabbed the coffee asking "So what did I miss?"

Ellis looked at Suvi "You're not a biotic, so I can't sync with you, but can I show the others the part you played in saving us?"

Suvi nodded. Ellis pulled Lexi, Peebee and Ryder into their mind and replayed Suvi's confrontation with the Benefactor. As the synchronisation ended Ryder looked at Suvi with tears in her eyes. "You saved me. You went into battle with nothing but a pistol and you saved me."

Lexi drained her coffee and looked at Ellis. "Help me transfer Ryder to her quarters, those two need sometime alone."

Ellis scooped up Ryder and carrier her to her room. They turned to leave only to feel Suvi's hand catch their arm "Saving her was a team effort. I know that you lost your family yesterday, but you became a part of mine. I'll never forget what you did for us, or what it's cost you."

Ellis couldn't meet Suvi's gaze. The Scot hugged them tightly. "We'll all get through this somehow."

Suvi was right. As the days passed Peebee took her first few steps around the med bay. Ryder started to regain some of the movement in her shoulder and Ellis started opening up to Drack about what they were feeling. Suvi had regular meetings with Lexi to help her deal with her first kill. By the week's end Peebee was well enough to walk to the galley where Drack had left her an assortment of pastries as a reward. Ryder had learnt how to use a fork again and the worst of the shoulder pain had subsided. It would takes weeks before either would be ready to return to active duty, but they were headed in the right direction.

Suvi and Ellis's issues would take a little longer to resolve, but they too were making progress. Suvi and Ryder sought comfort in each other's arms. Mostly they talked about their wedding, Ryder showed her the wedding bands that she'd had made for them. "Sara they're incredible. You're incredible. You'd almost be perfect if you didn't have such a bad habit of almost getting yourself killed."

 **Lasers and liquor**

It had been a month since the crew of the Tempest had successfully taken out the Company's base. The ship had been docked at the Nexus for almost three weeks as the Pathfinder recuperated from her shoulder injury. None of the crew had accommodation on the Nexus, so everyone stayed aboard the Tempest.

It was 02:00 hours and Suvi was sprawled on her back snoring. While Sara loved her dearly, she desperately needed sleep. Her left arm wasn't quite strong enough to move her yet, so Sara gave her a gentle shove using her biotics. Nothing, Suvi continued to snore. She tried again, this time a little more forcefully. Suvi awoke with a start and a dry mouth, she realised she'd been snoring "Sorry love."

She gave Ryder an apologetic kiss. Her throat felt like she'd been gargling with sand. Hauling herself to her feet she padded off to the galley to get some water. It was deathly quiet on the ship as everyone slept. Suvi was stealthily pouring herself a drink when she heard the doors of the bridge open and someone make their way down the ladder. It was Lexi. Suvi wondered if Peebee had had a setback with her leg "Is Peebee okay?"

Lexi startled and blushed simultaneously "Goddess! I didn't see you there. Uh, everything's fine. Peebee is fine. I, I need to go write up a report."

With that the medic hurried down the corridor. _Well that wasn't at all weird_ Suvi thought to herself. She finished her drink and made her way back to a slumbering Ryder. She assumed her usual position of being the big spoon and wrapped her arm around her waist. Ryder had many talents, including being Suvi's personal hot water bottle. As she drifted off to sleep, she couldn't but wonder exactly what was going on with Lexi. Come the morning she'd investigate further.

Kallo and Peebee drifted on the bridge, held up by Ellis's biotics. Kallo gave a relaxed sigh "The only thing that would make this more perfect would be if there was water beneath us. Imagine dropping out of suspension and into the water."

Peebee smiled broadly "Next time we're on Meridian we'll go to the beach. You're up for it right Ellis?"

The ultrabiotic chuckled "Buy me a beer and you've got yourselves a deal."

Kallo giggled "I'll let you two in on a secret. I've organised for Suvi's party to be on the beach at Meridian, you know the little one to the west of the Hyperion. Anyway Vetra has helped source snacks; something called marshmallows. Drack has arranged a multi species barbeque for us to eat. I didn't want to do anything to rawkus, because well, that's not Suvi. But I'm sure she be up for some swimming."

Peebee nodded her head in approval "Sounds great Kallo, I'm sure she'll.."

Peebee cut off as Suvi came onto the bridge clutching some reading books "Morning all. Ellis ready for your lesson?"

Ellis left their colleagues in suspension and took a seat on their bed. Suvi handed them a book "When you're ready."

Ellis had never learnt to read or write. The Company had forbidden it. As part of the terms and conditions of Ellis's placement on the Tempest, they would finally get the chance to learn. It was still early days, but Ellis could now write and recognise their own name and was learning to read simple books. Once the lesson had concluded Suvi checked in with Peebee who was still floating happily in the air. She tensed and relaxed the muscles in her legs as part of her rehabilitative physiotherapy. "Everything okay Peebee?"

"Yeah. Leg's still a little sore, but Lexi thinks I should be all healed up in a couple more weeks. I got off lightly compared to Ryder." Answered Peebee.

Suvi smiled "That's a relief. When I saw Lexi leaving the bridge late last night, I was worried you'd had a setback."

Peebee chuckled awkwardly "You know what the good doctors like."

Suvi wasn't really sure what to make of the young Asari's comment. Truth be told she didn't know Lexi that well, the doctor was closer to Ryder than to her. She headed into the Nexus and made her way to the tech lab. She busied herself with her latest essay; Rock formation on Elaaden.

While Ryder healed, she had regular meetings with Tann and the other Pathfinders about the Initiative's future in Andromeda. Hayjar had managed to find two planets suitable for Quarian habitation, while Pathfinder Sarissa continued to find resources. Pathfinder Rix had been working with the Geth and had found nearly all of the missing Turian stasis pods. Like Rix, the Quarian Pathfinder had been working with the Geth extensively on multiple projects ranging from modifying environmental suits to establishing a Geth homeworld.

The Initiative was starting to establish itself in Heleus. Ryder found it hard to concentrate on the meeting. Tomorrow the crew would head to Meridian for Ryder's Stag party. If truth be told, she was more than a little curious as to what her brother had in store for her. When she finally got back to the Tempest, Lexi was waiting for her. She made the Pathfinder go through a range of different movements to check the functionality of her prosthetic implant. Then Lexi made Ryder do a series of exercises to help strengthen and rehabilitate the muscles. The treatment always left Ryder tired and hungry. She wolfed down dinner and made her way to her quarters where Suvi was waiting. Ryder kissed her. The kiss tasted of coffee. Ryder was puzzled "Since when do you drink coffee this late?"

"Since I'm planning on staying up to finish this report. Anyways, I can have a lay in tomorrow while you lot do whatever it is Scott has lined up for you." She replied.

Suvi needed to make some headway on her essay. She bid Ryder a good night and sat herself in the galley so as not to disturb her. She muted the sounds on her datapad and worked in silence describing the intricacies of sedimentary rock. She lost all track of time. It became so late that the energy saving lighting in the room cut out and left Suvi working in darkness. She was about to start waving her arms to reactivate it when she heard movement above her. Lexi made her way down the ladder and headed off in the direction of the med bay, oblivious to the fact that Suvi was there. The smile on Lexi's face was amazing. Suvi knew that smile all too well. But she'd never have put Lexi and Peebee together in a month of Sunday's. The two Asari had slowly become friends over the time that they'd served together, but she'd never observed that spark, that chemistry. It was then that it dawned on Suvi it wasn't just Peebee who slept on the bridge.

The following morning Kallo flew the Tempest to Meridian. The whole crew were under strict instructions to have a hearty breakfast. Vetra and Peebee devoured bowls of chocolate cereal, while Lexi mainlined coffee. Ryder and Ellis were steadily draining the large pot of tea. Drack cooked up a selection of eggs, beans and toast.

In the Pathfinder's quarters, Suvi had assumed the starfish position and snored loudly. She only stirred from her slumber when Kallo's voice came over the comms channel to announce they were about to land on Meridian. She grabbed a quick shower and dressed in casual clothes. Her best jeans and a shirt she'd had made from Angaran fabric. While the rest of the crew were out, she'd be having lunch with Ryder's mother Ellen.

Scott was waiting at the landing bay with a couple of shuttlecraft. He took a deep breath "Okay we're off to the forest to play laser tag! Cora, Gil, Vetra, Drack, Prospero you're with me. Ellis, Jaal, Kallo, Lexi, Peebee you'll be on Sara's team. May the best Ryder win!"

Gil decided the best thing he could do if he didn't want to be completely annihilated was to stay close to Cora. However she seemed to be more interested in chatting with Scott than she was in not getting shot. Jaal managed to take them out quickly scoring two points for the Pathfinder's team.

Having been taken out by Jaal, the two became more competitive. They showed off their best trick shots taking out Jaal and Kallo and evening the score.

Lexi watched as Ellis drew their pistols and began to pick off Scott's team. They took out Scott and Cora in a single surprise attack, then took out Gil before getting the drop on Prospero. The black short sleeved compression shirt left little of Ellis's musculature to the imagination. Lexi stood and watched oblivious to Vetra sneaking up on her until her wristband vibrated confirming that she'd been shot. She waited for the five minute lockout to elapse so that she could rejoin the game. As she waited, she reflected on what she'd learnt from Ellis about guns and shooting. When the alarm sounded letting her know she was back in play, she drew her pistol and headed after Gil.

After a while the groups discarded tactics and techniques in favour of outright shooting anyone and everyone that wasn't on their team. The Ryder twins took pot shots at each other seeing who could score the most hits. Even with an injured arm the Pathfinder managed to beat her brother. By the end of the match, Ryder's squad were victorious. Lexi took Ryder to one side the check that she hadn't injured her arm and gave her a shot of analgesia to spare her the pain that would slowly creep in once the adrenaline wore off. "Thanks Lexi. Good to see you letting go a bit. Looked like you were really enjoying yourself out there."

Lexi laughed "Just be thankful I wasn't taking aim at my most problematic patients."

Suvi was sat in a small restaurant that overlooked the largest lake in Meridian sipping tea. Ellen entered and hugged her warmly "Thank you for bringing her back safely. From what the twins tell me, you're the main reason Sara's alive."

"I had help. It was Jaal who carried her back to the Tempest, I couldn't have done that. Then there was Ellis, they shielded Sara from being shot again." Suvi replied humbly.

"How are you coping? That was as much of an ordeal for you as it was Sara." Asked Ellen

Suvi was still dealing with the fact that she'd killed the Benefactor "Lexi's been helping with that, and Sara's been brilliant. Actually the whole crew have been supportive."

Ellen squeezed her arm "I'm sure they have. Just remember I'm here too."

The two women sat down, drank tea and chatted for hours. The topics ranged from Sara to Suvi's latest essay.

In the newly built bar just outside of the Hyperion, the second half of Ryder's party was underway. Scott was having to act as waiter, it was the forfeit for being the captain of the losing team. He dutifully fetched drinks in between flirting with Cora. The group sat around a large circular table exchanging stories. Scott and Sara had agreed not to tell any embarrassing stories about each other. Cora began to tell a tale "As an Asari huntress…"

She stopped as she noticed everyone had taken a sip of their drink. She disregarded their actions and started again "As I was saying during my time as an Asari huntress, seriously! What gives?"

Gil chuckled "Vetra and Peebee invented a drinking game. When you say certain things, we drink. You mention your time as an Asari huntress, we drink. You reference an Asari training manual, we drink. You say "with biotic like these" we drink. You get the idea. How do you think some of us got so trashed at the party on the Tempest?"

A brilliant but evil though struck Cora she cleared her throat and began "With biotics like these I was destined to become an Asari huntress. I spent hours studying the Asari training manuals. I was determined to be the best Huntress that I could be, even if that meant reading every training manual in existence."

Her monologue continue for a couple of minutes by which time everyone's drinks were drained. Peebee smiled "Well played Cora. Hey Lexi, you got any of those recovery shots? I think we'll be needing them."

Lexi nodded. She'd and Ellis had volunteered to be the designated sober persons for tonight. It would be their responsibility to get the crew and Scott home safely. "I'll give you all a shot when we get back to the Tempest."

The evening wore on and slow music filled the bar. Cora and Scott danced, while Peebee and Kallo snoozed. Ryder winced the analgesic shot was starting to ware off and her body began to protest. Today was the most active she'd been since the attack on the Company base. Lexi saw the pained expression on Ryder's face. "Time to call it a night Pathfinder?"

Ryder nodded and slowly got to her feet. Prospero scooped up the sleeping Peebee and Ellis carried Kallo. The rest of the crew were able to make their own way back unaided. Cora and Scott stayed behind, dancing away until the small hours of the morning.

Back on the Tempest Lexi gave out recovery shots and gave Ryder a dose of painkillers before sneaking off to spend time with Ellis. The two had become romantically involved just before the attack on the Company base. They had agreed to take things slowly, generally chatting into the small hours wrapped up in each other's arms. Tonight had been a little different. It had start off innocently enough sat on the bed kissing, until Ellis started kissing Lexi's neck. She laid herself back, pulling Ellis on top of her. Lexi positioned herself so their right leg was between hers. Lexi let her left hand travel down Ellis's back till it found purchase on their ass, pulling Ellis hard against her. She let Ellis's dark brown corkscrew curls twist through the fingers of her right hand.

Ellis explored Lexi's neck with their teeth, tongue and lips, all the while grinding against her in a steady rhythm. The fiction make Lexi groan in spite of herself and Ellis suck hard on Lexi's neck bruising the flesh. It was all too much and no where near enough. Lexi mumbled "I don't want you to stop, but I need you to."

Ellis gently lifted themselves off of Lexi and lay down beside her. The pair tried to catch their breath. Ellis's heart pounded so loudly they could have a pulse in their ears. Lexi sighed "I should go, I don't want us snoring our way through Suvi's barbeque tomorrow."

She stood up "Ellis I want to tell Ryder about us. She's our CO and my friend, she deserves to know what's going on."

Ellis smiled "Okay. Did you want me to come with you?"

Lexi shook her head "Thank you, but no. I need to do this by myself."

She tapped at her omnitool requesting a meeting with Ryder. A reply came straight back inviting Lexi to Ryder's quarters immediately. Lexi kissed Ellis goodnight and headed off to see Ryder.

 **Barbeques and beer**

Lexi felt her mouth go dry as she reached the door of Ryder's quarters. She'd been keeping her romantic involvement with Ellis a secret for almost a month. At first they'd kept things quiet in case it was just a reaction to all the stress and chaos they'd been subjected to. The need for comfort amidst all the hurt and suffering. Life was much calmer and fresh wounds were now healing scars, yet the two still sought each other's embrace and companionship. They'd taken things slowly but both of them were struggling to hold back the feelings and desires that had grown between them.

Lexi entered and was greeted by Ryder. Suvi excused herself and headed off to the galley to make some tea. Lexi took a deep breath and began. "I'm sorry. I've been keeping something from you. At first I didn't tell you because I wasn't sure it would come to anything. I didn't want to trouble you with something that was potentially pointless, you were, are recovering from your injuries and I didn't want to burden you unnecessarily."

Ryder regarded her with concern "What's going on Lexi? What have you been keeping from me?"

Lexi sighed "The night before we fought the Company, Ellis and I kissed and since then we've been seeing each other."

"I knew it!" Squeaked Suvi "I saw the way you were smiling when you left the bridge in the wee hours of the morning. Admittedly I did think it was Peebee at first, then my common sense kicked it."

The two women were so engrossed in the conversation that neither had noticed Suvi enter the room carrying a tray of tea. Suvi hadn't meant to pry and what had been disclosed wasn't something she didn't already know.

"You knew about this?" Ryder sounded a little hurt.

Suvi adopted a kind but firm tone "For all of a day Sara, and it wasn't my secret to tell you. I'm sure they had their reasons for keeping this from everyone. It's not like we went public straight away, apart from poor Kallo. The Pathfinder falling for her science officer, the doctor falling for her patient. The lines we crossed were huge. Those decisions weren't taken lightly."

Ryder reflected upon all the times she'd paced the floor of her quarters in those early days. Finding the courage to take that initial step, and then finding the courage to keep moving forwards. It hurt that Lexi hadn't confided in her sooner, but she could understand and appreciate why. "If you're happy, I'm happy. Does anyone else know?"

Lexi flushed "Only Peebee, she knew about us before we did."

The revelation surprised Ryder. Peebee was in possession of the juiciest piece of gossip on the Tempest, but had told no one. When had she become such a grown up? Ryder hugged her friend "You have my blessing. Next time just tell me what's going on. You're my friend Lexi, you can talk to me. Now go get some sleep. I understand Kallo has big plans for all of you tomorrow."

Cora awoke in the Pathfinder's suite aboard the Hyperion curled up next to Scott. The two had gotten a recovery shot from Dr Carlyle once they'd left the bar. What had happened in this room last night had nothing to do with alcohol. Realising the time, she quickly threw on her clothes. She woke Scott for a goodbye kiss and ran back to the Tempest hoping no one would notice she'd never made it back. Naturally Gil, Prospero, Jaal and Vetra were waiting to greet her as she came aboard they saluted and chorused "Good morning Lieutenant."

Cora, not missing a beat returned the salute and responded "As you were."

She quickly scurried off for a shower, followed by a large amount of coffee. She changed into her beachwear and threw a towel and some warm casual clothes into a duffle bag for afterward.

Kallo had excelled himself. He'd arranged for exclusive access to the beach so the crew could truly relax and enjoy themselves. He'd hired out a couple of the beachfront shacks for people to use as changing rooms, or if they just wanted some space or in Jaal's case a nap.

Kallo had organised picnic tables and huge canopy parasols to be placed on the beach next to the barbeque pit where Drack would work his culinary magic. Each parasol was fitted with solar lights that would come on once the light faded.

The crew were dressed in casual clothing Cora, Lexi and Vetra had opted for swimming costumes and sarongs. Kallo wore a thin black neoprene like body suit, while Drack stuck to his usual attire. The rest opted for board shorts and rash shirts.

Jaal looked concerned "Lexi are you aware you have a bruise on your neck? Did you injure yourself"

Lexi flushed, she'd forgotten about the dark purple bruise "Not exactly."

Cora chimed in "Its called a hickey or a love bite. It's usually acquired through, nevermind, let's just say that clearly I wasn't the only one having a good time last night. Come on Jaal race you to the water? Last one in has to carry Peebee back to the Tempest!"

The two sprinted off down the beach, Cora hit the water first, the cool water erased the last traces of fatigue from the night before. Jaal followed close behind still befuddled by what the two women had been talking about.

Kallo and Peebee stood at the water's edge waiting for their friend to lift them up and drop them into the water. Prospero took some scans and calculated the exact height and location the two would need to be suspended from to safely achieve their goal. They swam out to the point that Prospero had plotted and Ellis scooped them up in suspension. The two drifted above the water with huge grins on their faces. Suvi swam out to them "Room for another one?"

Suvi felt herself being lifted out of the water and into the air level with Kallo and Peebee. The three curled up into balls and Kallo yelled out "Ready!"

The suspension cut out and the three hit the water generating huge splashes as they cannonballed. As they surfaced that laughter carried across the water to the shore. Kallo yelled "Again."

Gil and Vetra gave swimming a miss in favour of building sand castles, or more accurately a sand Tempest. Gil had drawn the outline of the ship with a piece of driftwood he'd found on the beach, then the two had set to work sculpting the sand. It was all going fine until they noticed Drack had fallen asleep. At that point the sand Tempest was abandoned and the two crept towards the sleeping Drack with spades in their hands and mischief in their eyes. Slowly but surely, they buried the sleeping Krogan in sand.

Out in the water, Cora and Jaal had joined in with the others, being held in suspension and dropped into the sea. Lexi swam lazily nearby, the idea of being dropped into the ocean didn't appeal, but it was lovely to watch the crew laughing.

Ellis smiled "Having fun guys?"

Kallo sighed "I feel bad that you don't get to experience this. It's rather exhilarating!"

An idea struck Suvi. "Cora, Peebee, Lexi, you think you three could lift Ellis up between you?"

The three women nodded in agreement and Ellis swam out to join them. The combined biotic effort hoisted them clean out of the water. The other swam back to avoid the splash as the suspension cut out and Ellis plunged into the water. They surfaced smiling. "Okay, I can see the appeal now."

Drack awoke from his nap feeling refreshed and trapped. From a relatively safe distance, Vetra and Gil chuckled. After several failed attempts, Drack managed to break free from his sandy prison and charged after the Vetra and Gil who were now sprinting towards the water.

Ellen Ryder had a lakeside apartment in the same block as Harry Carlyle. The view was stunning, the sun beat down on the lake making it look like shimmering gold. Sara, Scott and Ellen sat at the table in Ellen's apartment eating pasta carbonara. As children, the twins tastes differed wildly, but this was a dish that they always loved and that both of their parents could cook. Sara was grateful for something she could eat one handed, her left arm was still protesting from yesterday's activities. Ellen was curious as to how the party had gone "So, did you two have fun last night?"

Sara started to laugh as Scott went bright red and almost choked on his pasta. Ellen shook her head and playfully said "That good huh? I'd like to remind you both you're in your twenties and you're getting married next week Sara!"

Both twins were laughing now, each time they looked at each other it only made it worse. Ellen sat back and smiled half a smile. While it was wonderful to see her children so happy, she couldn't help but feel cheated as she thought to herself " _I wish you were here to see this Alec."_

Everyone was hungry from swimming or running away from Drack. The smell of the barbeque drifted across the sand making the crew salivate and their stomachs growl. The crew began to leave the water to shower and decant into dry clothing. It was no surprise that Peebee was first in line for food, closely followed by Suvi, Lexi and Ellis.

As Drack handed Ellis a plate of food he asked "So kid what are you going to do now the Company has been destroyed, any plans?"

Ellis sat down beside Lexi "I think I'll stick around as long as the Pathfinder will have me. The Tempest is the first place that's ever felt like a home. There are people here that I care about, that care about me, I need that right now."

Lexi kissed Ellis on the cheek. It was a small display of affection, but a significant step forwards for them as a couple. Cora was genuinely surprised, at least she now knew who was responsible for the mark on the doctor's neck. Peebee couldn't help herself, she'd been keeping this a secret for weeks "Awww you two are so cute!"

They ate and drank into the evening. Suvi told the story behind the tattoos on her inner forearms, the dandelion clocks on the left and the golden spiral on the right. Gil asked if she had any others, Suvi flushed a little "Yeah but only Sara gets to see that one."

Gil pouted "Could at least tell us what it is and where?"

Suvi took a long swig of beer "Fair enough. I've got a full back piece of a spiral galaxy. I had it done as a reward when I finished my PhD."

Gil winced at the thought. "I could think of less painful ways to celebrate."

The sun finally descended and one by one the solar lights blinked into action casting out a soft glow. Suvi was in charge of cooking the marshmallows and making hot chocolate. It had been an Anwar family tradition. Suvi's father would always take a tiny camping stove and marshmallows on their expeditions. Having been born and raised in Cairo, Suvi's father found winters in Scotland frightfully cold. He'd find any excuse to get his stove out in a bid to thaw out his hands. A warm gooey marshmallow treat washed down by hot chocolate was a perfect palate cleanser after the lick test. Even if her family couldn't be with her in Heleus, she could carry on and share some of the traditions that they had started.

Several of the crew had never tried marshmallows before, Ellis and Peebee were instant converts. Suvi taught them how to cook the marshmallows and the importance of rotating them so that the whole sweet was golden and gooey.

Suvi wandered over to Kallo and hugged him. "Thank you, this has been wonderful."

Kallo giggled "It's not over yet. I saved the best for last. Ellis if you'd be so kind."

Lexi jabbed them with a recovery shot and they bolted off to one of the shacks to retrieve a large box. During their time as bodyguard come mercenary Ellis hadn't just been proficient at weapons, they were a dab hand at explosives too. It had taken a lot of wrangling, pleading and in some cases outright bribery to get a hold of what Ellis was setting up near the shore "Okay everyone, look up."

Ellis sprinted back to where the others were stood and tapped on their omnitool "Here we go!"

The box opened and a small stream of silver fireworks whistled into the sky. Suvi wrapped an arm around Kallo, the two friends hugged and looked skywards. The second round shot up into the air detonating into gold and silver dandelion clocks in the darkness. The third and final wave were multicoloured explosions that peppered the purple sky. Kallo felt a sense contentment as he saw that look of joy on his best friends face. A cold breeze started coming in from the sea, making him shiver. "Perhaps we should head back to the Tempest?"

Suvi took Kallo's arm "Lead the way."

Back aboard the Tempest, Lexi dutifully administered recovery shots to those that needed them. She pretended not to notice Cora sneaking off the ship, no doubt to meet Scott. Instead she headed off to check in on Ryder and see how her arm was doing. While the Pathfinder had regained full movement and function, the pain persisted and would do for sometime. She gave a cocktail of anti inflammatories and analgesia. "It'll be a few more weeks before it fully settles down. I know it's frustrating, but you're making good progress."

Lexi said her goodbyes and left. She made her way to the bridge where Ellis was sprawled out in bed. Lexi got under the duvet placed her head on their chest. The steady lub dub of Ellis's heart quickly soothed the exhausted doctor off to sleep.

In the Pathfinder's quarters, Sara was already in bed. Suvi came in fresh from the shower, she'd wanted to get the lingering smell of barbeque smoke out of her hair. Ryder smiled at the sight of her "Hey, did you have a good time?"

Suvi climbed under the duvet "Kallo did an amazing job, it was almost the perfect day."

She spooned into the back of Ryder and began to warm her cold feet on her fiance's warm ones. "And now it _is_ perfect."

 **A pleasure and a privilege**

Ellis woke with a start. Elements of the nightmare still lingered in their mind. To try and go back to sleep now would be foolish, they'd end up back in the dream trapped in a tiny cell with a shock collar. Instead they quietly got out of bed and headed for the galley. Ryder was sat nursing a cup of tea. "Peebee's snoring wake you up?"

"Nightmares." Ellis answered truthfully. "You?"

Ryder sighed "Pre Wedding nerves about my shoulder. I'm worried it's not going to hold up."

Ellis grabbed a mug "I know this really good doctor that could help you with that. I've never been to a wedding before, but from what Gil tells me, there's nothing too physically strenuous. Well at least not until… ohhhh."

Ryder laughed awkwardly "I'm not asking your girlfriend for help with that."

Ellis waited for their tea to brew. "When I was with the Company, I was sent to do a few jobs on Omega. It was the only place I got downtime, if you catch my drift. I'd gotten hurt doing a job, broke my collar bone. I didn't want to saying anything because I'd have been shipped straight back to my cell. I used my biotics to compensate for my arm. If you can lift Drack four feet in the air, then putting you and your new wife in a biotic bubble should be easy. Follow me."

The two headed off of the ship into the empty docking area. Ellis used their biotics to make the pair of them weightless. Ryder felt herself relax into the zero g environment, she now understood why Peebee and Kallo loved it so much. Ellis rolled so that they were upside down "So how's the shoulder feeling now there's no gravity pulling on it? Try to move yourself around, see how it holds up."

Ryder stretched out, spun and twisted "It doesn't hurt. The biotic field feels tingly. I've only really be on the receiving end went it's meant to hurt. This feels like when I use Suvi's Angaran shower gel."

Ellis lowered them back down. "Now it's your turn to take us up. It doesn't need to be high, just so longs as we've both got clearance when we spin."

Ryder pulled them both up. It was a little wobbly at first, but she was quickly able to stabilise them. Ellis encouraged her "Okay, that's great. Now let yourself move around but try to keep us both us."

Ryder let herself spin, twist and rotate all the while keeping them both in zero g. After a while Ryder felt her reserves start to drain so she lowered them back down. She made a mental note to get SAM to boost her biotics next time.

"So, all you need to do is practise while distracted. I suggest dismantling a gun or something so that sustaining the zero g isn't your only thought. You don't want to get distracted and hit the deck in the middle of something." Ellis winked.

With only a day until the wedding, preparations were in top gear. There were only two stops left in Kallo's itinerary, the first was Aya. The majority of the crew would be wearing their dress whites to the wedding. Drack would be wearing his standard attire, while Jaal, Peebee, Verta and Ellis had needed to have custom outfits made for the occasion. Aya was home to some of the best seamstresses and tailors in Andromeda. Vertra had opted for a long flowing royal blue dress. She stood in front of a huge mirror "Think Sid will recognise me in this?"

Peebee had splashed out on a purple dress that matched her beloved jacket. There was intricate detailing woven into the fabric with silver thread. It reminded her of the some of the patterns she'd seen in the vaults and around Meridian. Ellis had bought a tailored navy blue suit with a burgundy shirt. The three stood together looking at reflections that were almost unfamiliar. Ellis chuckled "Well, I think we'll pass muster."

Ellis had also procured two bowties in Initiative blue and white for Drack and Prospero to wear on pain of death at the hands of Ellen Ryder. While their taste in clothing varied greatly all three outfits had one thing in common; an integrated gun holster. Peebee and Vetra's were concealed into the folds of their dresses, while Ellis's was built into the left breast of their jacket. This was the Pathfinder's wedding and the three intended to be ready for any eventuality. Their outfits were placed into protective covers and would be stowed in the armoury for safe keeping until the wedding. With the clothes purchased, they headed off to the bar to meet with Jaal. The Angaran was carrying his new outfit which was similar to his usual clothing, but was white and royal blue. He smiled warmly at the three "Perfect timing, would you like to try the wine we'll be having?"

Peebee didn't need to be asked twice. She quaffed a glass while picking at an assortment of bar snacks. Kallo summonsed them back to the ship via the comms channel before anyone could get intoxicated.

Suvi sat in the galley regarding one of the many signs that bore the ship's name Tempest. Its significance had never been lost on her. A storm that had carried people to their destinies, that had bought her to Ryder, just like Ferdinand was brought to Miranda. "How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world that has such people in't!"

''Tis new to thee." Lexi added making herself a coffee.

"It's still new to all of us. I never dreamt it would play out like this though. When I first stepped on board, I'd barely spoken to Kallo. I had no idea when I sat down on the bridge that I was sitting opposite to the person that would become my best friend. Never mind the fact I'm about to marry my commanding officer. I still can't believe that I greeted SAM before Sara when I first met her. Luckily for me, I think she was too overwhelmed to notice." she flushed at the memory.

Suvi took a swig of tea "You've changed. As I recall you were..."

"Standoffish, distant, cold?" offered Lexi

Suvi shook her head "I was going to say that you were interested in Drack."

Lexi chucked, that crush had long since faded "That feels like a lifetime ago. I think part of the attraction was knowing nothing would ever come of it. No chance of getting hurt, but no chance of finding happiness either. I'd like to think my time here has made me a little braver at letting people in. I never thought I'd live to see the day when I went to a bar with Peebee! Between us, I've grown quite fond of her, even if she is a complete liability sometimes."

"Awww, only sometimes Lexi?" Giggled Peebee.

She and the others filed past the galley carrying suit bags. Suvi excitedly asked if she could get a sneak peak at the outfits they'd chosen. Peebee agreed on the grounds that only she and Ryder could see. Suvi summoned her fiancé and the six headed up to the bridge. The armoury and Peebee's room became makeshift changing rooms as the four got into their outfits and lined up for inspection. Ryder and Suvi stood in amazement "Who are you guys and what have you done with my crew?" Joked Ryder

Ryder smiled warmly "Seriously you guys look amazing. Thanks for making such an effort. I'm gonna go now before Jaal or I start crying."

"Too late." Sniffed Jaal burying his head in Ryder's uninjured shoulder.

They changed back into their regular clothing while Suvi brewed up some tea. With everyone aboard and the wine and food loaded into the cargo bay it was time for Kallo to fly to their final destination.

The Tempest landed on Eos. For Sara and Suvi, this was where everything began, so it seemed only fitting that the next chapter in their lives started in this very place. Ryder and Scott would be staying Cora, while Suvi and Kallo would be staying with Gil. The rest of the crew would base themselves out of the ship. The couple stood in the shade of the Tempest and said their goodbyes. Ryder hugged Suvi as tightly as her injured shoulder would allow and kissed her before heading off in their separate directions. The next time they met it would be at their wedding. The next kiss they would share would be as a married couple.

Having prepared an assortment of pain meds for Ryder's shoulder and recovery shots for the wedding, Lexi rewarded herself with a shower. As several of the crew were off ship, Lexi took her time and used up all of her hot water allowance. She dried off and debated heading up to the bridge. She decided against it, but promised herself that once the wedding was over, she and Ellis would have some quality time together.

Sara found it hard to sleep. She missed the feeling of Suvi's arms wrapped around her and the subsequent sanctuary and safety that it offered. The silence of Cora's living room was oppressive, while Sara didn't miss the Scot's snoring, the sound of her breathing was always comforting. It drowned of the stupid little voice of self doubt at three am, it regulated her own breathing after a bad dream. In short it had become her lullaby in Andromeda. She missed talking too. Suvi was a great listener. They sit together in bed sipping tea and talking about everything from science to what they'd do next time they were home on Elaaden. "SAM boost my biotics, I need to practise sustaining a zero g bubble."

SAM obliged and Ryder floated into the air, the biotic energy making her skin tingle. She thought about Suvi and what it would be like to be with her in zero g. Her thoughts were a vivid hybrid of memory and fantasy that elicited a heat and hunger. She let her hand slip beneath the waistband of her pyjama bottoms in a bid to sate the urge. After all, she was supposed to practise this when distracted.

Suvi felt cold as she lay in the darkness. She longed for her human hot water bottle and comfortable conversation. This was normally her favourite part of the day, but tonight the cold, the silence and lack of Sara made it almost intolerable. A part of Suvi contemplated sneaking out and heading over to Cora's place, but she knew she wasn't stealthy enough to escape without alerting somebody. Knowing her luck she'd trip over Kallo or wake Gil's baby daughter Meredith by accident. Instead she opted to quietly pray and give thanks for the blessings in her life, namely the fact that in a few hours she'd finally get to marry Sara.

Morning, excitement and mild panic arrived on the Tempest. Drack cooked breakfast for the crew that remained on the ship. They grabbed showers and started getting dressed. Lexi was the first to be ready. She grabbed to case of medicines and headed of to see Ryder. The Pathfinder was floating in a ball of biotic energy dismantling her ceremonial sidearm, cleaning it and putting it back together again. Lexi gave a quizzical look. Ryder finished reassembling her gun and lowered herself back to the ground. "It's something Ellis taught me."

Ryder explained her concerns about her shoulder and that Ellis had suggested using biotics to minimise the strain being placed on it. Lexi couldn't fault the logic. She gave Ryder an additional jab to help stimulate and enhance her biotics, then treated the Pathfinder's shoulder with long lasting painkillers. "I've packed you a supply of medication for your honeymoon, Vetra has had it delivered to your accommodation on Aya. If you need anything while you're away, just message me."

Ryder hugged Lexi "Thank you."

The doctor took her leave and made her way to meet the rest of the crew. The ceremony was taking place by Cora's rose garden. Since Meridian had come on line the flowers had grown significantly. A gentle breeze carried the floral scent in the air. The guests and crew began to trickle into the area. Drack begrudgingly wore his bow tie, it had taken the threat of being warped with biotics to get him to put it on. Prospero wore his bow tie proudly. He wondered if Gil might help him paint some of his body in the Initiative colours. Lexi smiled as Peebee tried to teach Vetra how to strut in her new dress. Ellis walked up to the doctor "You look amazing Lex."

Lexi did a double take. To see Ellis in a suit was a new and welcome experience. She grabbed them by the lapels of their jacket and pulled them in for a kiss "You scrub up well."

Before Ellis could respond, Ellen Ryder approached the pair. "Hello you two, glad to see you managed to sort things out."

Despite being over two hundred years Ellen's senior, Lexi still felt like she was being mothered, it was a nice feeling. Ellen Ryder was still coming to terms with the death of her husband. She found that keeping busy helped her work through her pain. Sometimes being busy meant research, sometimes, it meant encouraging two people to take the next step so as not to miss an opportunity to find happiness. As everyone took their places, Captain Dunn began "It doesn't matter who we are, where we're from or why we came. Today we are all Andromedans! And it is that very spirit of unity that we gather here today to witness and celebrate the joining of Sara Ryder and Suvi Anwar in marriage."

Ryder and Suvi stood before their friends, family and guests and held each other's hands. Kallo stood on the right beside Suvi and Scott stood on the left by his sister.

Gil exhaled slowly trying to hold back the tears, he always cried at weddings. Unsure of the correct protocol, Prospero patted him on the shoulder saying "There, there."

Captain Dunn continued "The couple have prepared some words to say to each other before making their vows. Suvi, if you would like to begin."

Suvi smiled at Ryder "I once told you that you're my home. That still stands. You're where I go to feel safe, to feel like I belong. Science might have been my first love. In my defence I was into science long before I realised I was into girls. But you became my ultimate love. The love I would go into battle for. The love that would build a home with. The love I commit to before all others. Sara have become not just my home, but my heart as well."

Drack's shoulders moved strangely, he seemed to be exhaling slowly as though trying to suppress some terrible pain.

"Are you okay Drack?" Asked a worried Lexi.

The sobbing Krogan sniffed hard "I'm fine, just Cora's roses are getting to me. Must be allergic."

Lexi smiled and squeezed his shoulder. "Goddess you're crying! I really have seen it all."

Drack managed to find his composure in time for Ryder to start. "Suvi you never cease to amaze me. You've faced everything this galaxy has thrown at us. You've never lost faith, even in our darkest moments. You and your love for me have save me on so many levels and more times than you'll ever know. I might be the Pathfinder, but you'll always be the compass that guides me home."

Captain Dunn spoke "If anyone has any reason why these two should not be married, speak now or forever hold your peace."

Vetra, Peebee and Ellis's hands hovered over their concealed guns ready to deal with any objections, but none came. The Captain continued, taking them through their vows. Suvi vowed to put down her datapad more, while Ryder vowed to die less. Then they exchanged rings. The wedding bands were made from tungsten carbide and inlaid with octahedrite from a meteor the Pathfinder had found some time ago. The rings had lived in Ryder's sock draw for the longest time, but today they were final fulfilling their intended purpose.

"By the powers vested in me as Captain of the Hyperion, I pronounce you married. You may now kiss."

The two kissed and a loud cheer came from the everyone along with a round of applause. Prospero hugged a sobbing Gil repeating his mantra of "There, there."

Everyone made their way to the marquee that had been assembled for the occasion. There was food, drink and speeches. None of which the couple remembered, save the one that Ryder made "My wife and I would like to thank you all for being here and sharing this day with us. When we first came to Andromeda most of us were strangers. Time and circumstance has brought us together, helping us forge new relationships. I can only hope that you are as lucky as me. That you find friends, family and love here in our new home. To my crew, old and new, it is a pleasure and a privileged to serve with you. Thank you for helping to make all of this possible."

Ryder raised her glass "To the crew of the Tempest. Friends who became my family, the family who are my friends."

The air filled with a loud chorus of "To the crew of the Tempest!"

Slow music played as the newly weds tried to make their way to the dance floor. Their path however was blocked by Ellen Ryder. Sensing that his friends just wanted to dance, Drack intercepted Ellen and led her to the floor "May I have the pleasure Doctor Ryder?"

Ryder gave Drack an appreciative wink as Suvi walked her onto the dance floor. Ryder wrapped her arms around her wife as they moved slowly in time to the tune being played. They were shortly joined by Scott and Cora, then Ellis and Lexi. Peebee dragged Kallo on, while Jaal danced with Vetra. Finally Gil joined them with Prospero in tow. The crew danced into the early evening and the light began to fade. Kallo managed to escape from Peebee's clutches and made his way to Ryder and Suvi "Ready to make a move?"

The couple nodded. They said farewell to Ellen who was now sat talking with Harry Carlyle. The two were planning a new research project on neurosurgery. There was a flurry of goodbyes as they made their way back to the Tempest. Lexi dished out recovery shots and handed a package to Ryder "Two weeks supply of biotic booster shots. It should extend the length and efficacy of your abilities."

Ryder flushed slightly and muttered a quick "Thanks Lexi."

The pair made headed to their quarters to get their luggage. Ryder put the shots that Lexi had given her into her bag for safekeeping. It dawned on her that this was the first time that she'd been alone with Suvi since they'd gotten married. As if having the very same thought Suvi wrapped her arms around her and pulled her in for a kiss "Alone at last. Today has been incredible but a bit overwhelming at times. I'm glad it's just us now."

Ryder led her wife to the couch "I know, at one point I was worried Tann's speech was never going to end. I'm glad his microphone malfunctioned or I swear he'd still be talking now."

Suvi smirked "It didn't malfunction, Kallo and Gil sabotaged it. We had a hunch he might go on a bit, so we came up with a contingency plan just in case."

Ryder laughed "There are many reasons I married you Doctor Anwar, and your contingency planning is one of them."

"What are the other reasons?" Suvi inquired kissing Sara's neck.

Before the she could answer Kallo's voice came over the comms channel "We're about to set down on Aya."

The two grabbed their bags and made their way to the cargo hold where Scott and the entire crew were waiting for them armed with confetti.

Kallo hugged them both "I'll take care of Nibbler for you while you're gone."

Ryder suspected that the hamster would be spoilt rotten in her absence.

"I'm proud of you two, now go be newlyweds somewhere that isn't the bridge." He giggled.

Gil and Prospero were next to hug them "Congratulations." They chorused.

Jaal wept happily as he scooped them up in his arms "Thank you for sharing something so joyous with me."

Drack gave them each an affectionate squeeze on the arm "Have fun kids."

Vetra dabbed away a tear before hugging each of them "Have a great time. I should have some news for you on the puppy front when you get back."

Peebee high fived them "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

Scott hugged Suvi "Take care of my sister." He then hugged Sara "Take care of my sister in law."

Ellis hugged them "Congratulations. Thank you, for this, for everything."

"Have a wonderful time on Aya. Take care of each other." Said Lexi in between hugs.

Finally it was Cora's turn, she saluted before going in for a hug "Don't worry, I'll keep these guys in check while you're gone."

"Good luck with that. But if you managed to pull that off, let me know how you did it," chuckled Ryder. "Okay guys, Cora is in charge until I get back. See you all in two weeks."

As the two descended the ramp, the crew threw their confetti into the air. Brightly coloured petals fell like snow upon them. They made their way to the shuttlecraft that would take them to the island. It was a short journey that only took a couple of minutes. As they disembarked onto the island SAM piped up "Pathfinder the Tempest is in flight and preparing to leave Aya."

Suvi and Sara looked up and watched as the Tempest passed over the island. They waved as it flew upwards into the sky and the stars beyond it. Suvi sighed "Think they'll be okay without us?"

Ryder smiled "It's only two weeks. How much trouble could they possibly get into?"


End file.
